J 


i 


I 


MIGHTY  MIKKO 


BY  PARKER  FILLMORE 
CZECHOSLOVAK  FAIRY  TALES 
THE  SHOEMAKER'S  APRON 

Both  Illustrated  by  Jan  Matulka 

THE  LAUGHING  PRINCE 
Illustrated  by  Jay  Van  E'ueren 

THE  HICKORY  LIMB 

Illustrated  by  Rose  Cecil  0''Neill 

THE  ROSIE  WORLD 

Illustrated  by  Maginal  Wright  Enright 


Ilona  came  floating  up  through  the  waves.     Page  17 


fSYCH. 
ilBHARY 


MIGHTY  MIKKO 

A   Book  of  Finnish  Fairy   Tales   and   Folk  Tales 


BY 


PARKER   FILLMORE 


WITH  ILLUSTRATIONS  AND  DECORATIONS 
BY 

JAY  VAN  EVEREN 


NEW  YORK 
HARCOURT,  BRACE  AND  COMPANY 


Q--\i  aoo 


R)UC. 


Copyright,  1922,  by 
PARKER  FILLMORE 


PRINTED    IN    THE    U.   8.    *.     BY 

QUINN     A    BOOEN    COMPANY.    INC. 

RAHWAY.    N.    J. 


To  my  niece 
Phyllis 

These  stories  of  her  mother's  native  land 


NOTE 

The  spirit  of  nationalism  that  swept  over  the  small 
peoples  of  Europe  in  the  early  nineteenth  century 
touched  faraway  Finland  and  started  the  Finns  on 
the  quest  of  the  Finnish.  There  as  elsewhere  scholars 
who  were  also  patriots  found  that  the  native  tongue, 
lost  to  the  educated  and  the  well-to-do,  had  been  pre- 
served in  the  songs  and  stories  which  were  current 
among  the  peasants.  Elias  Lonnrot  spent  a  long  and 
busy  life  collecting  those  ancient  runos  from  which  he 
succeeded  in  building  up  a  national  epic,  the  Kalevala, 
This  is  Lonnrot's  great  contribution  to  his  own  country 
and  to  the  world.  Beside  the  material  for  the  Kalevala 
Lonnrot  made  important  collections  of  lyrics,  proverbs, 
and  stories. 

During  his  time  and  since  other  patriot  scholars  have 

vil 


viii  NOTE 

made  faithful  records  of  the  songs  and  tales  which  the 
old  Finnish  minstrels,  the  runolavlajat,  chanted  to  the 
strains  of  the  kantele.  The  mass  of  such  material  now 
gathered  together  in  the  archives  of  the  Society  of 
Finnish  Literature  at  Helsingfors  is  imposing  in  bulk 
and  of  great  importance  to  the  student  of  comparative 
folklore. 

My  own  excursions  into  the  Finnish  have  been  made 
possible  through  the  kindness  and  endless  patience  of 
my  friend,  Lydia  Tulonen  (Mrs.  Kurt  J.  Rahlson). 
With  her  as  a  native  guide  I  have  been  wandering  some 
time  through  the  byways  of  Finnish  folklore.  The  pres- 
ent volume  is  the  traveler's  pack  I  have  brought  home 
with  me  filled  with  strange  treasures  which  will,  I  hope, 
seem  as  lovely  to  others  as  they  seemed  to  me  when  first 
I  came  upon  them. 

The  stories  as  I  offer  them  are  not  translations  but 
my  own  versions.  Literal  translations  from  the  Finnish 
would  make  small  appeal  to  the  general  reader.  To 
English  ears  the  Finnish  is  stiff,  bald,  and  monotonous. 
One  has  only  to  read  or  attempt  to  read  Kirby's  excel- 
lent translation  of  the  Kalevala  to  realize  the  truth  of 
this  statement.  So  I  make  no  apologj^  for  retelling 
these  tales  in  a  manner  more  likely  to  prove  entertain- 
ing to  the  English  reader,  whether  child  or  adult. 


NOTE  ix 

In  some  form  or  other  all  the  tales  in  this  book  may 
be  fomid  in  the  various  folklore  collections  made  by  Eero 
Salmelainen,  one  of  the  patriotic  young  scholars  who 
followed  in  Lonnrot's  footsteps.  His  books  were  spon- 
sored by  the  Society  of  Finnish  Literature  and  used  in 
its  campaign  to  bring  back  the  Finnish  language  to  the 
Finns  at  a  time  when  Swedish  was  the  official  language 
of  the  country. 

Full  of  local  color  as  these  stories  are,  it  would  be 
vain  to  pretend  that  they  are  not,  for  the  most  part, 
variants  of  stories  told  the  world  over.  All  that  I  can 
claim  for  them  is  that  they  are  dramatic  and  pictur- 
esque, that  they  are  told  with  a  wealth  of  charming 
detail  which  is  essentially  Finnish,  and  that  they  are 
certainly  new  to  the  generality  of  English  readers. 
The  Three  Chests,  so  characteristic  in  feeling  of  a  coun- 
try famous  for  its  lakes  and  marshes,  is  the  variant  of 
a  German  story  which  Grimm  gives  as  Fitcher's  Bird. 
Of  The  Forest  Bride  I  have  found  variants  in  the  folk- 
lore of  many  lands.  There  are  several  very  beautiful 
ones  in  the  Russian ;  in  other  books  I  myself  have  retold 
two,  one  current  among  the  Czechs  and  one  among  the 
Serbians;  Grimm  has  two  different  versions  in  The 
Three  Feathers  and  The  Poor  Miller's  Boy  and  the 
Cat;  and  Madame  d'Aulnoy  has  used  the  same  story 


X  NOTE 

in  her  elaborate  tale,  The  White  Cat.  There  is  a  well- 
known  Oriental  version  of  Mighty  Mikko  in  which  the 
part  of  the  fox  is  played  by  a  jackal  and  I  am  sure  that 
Mikko's  faithful  retainer,  though  neither  city-bred  nor 
polished,  is  after  all  pretty  closely  related  to  that  most 
debonnaire  of  Frenchmen,  Puss  in  Boots.  Perrault 
probably  and  Madame  d'Aulnoy  certainly  are  in  turn 
indebted  to  Straparola.    And  so  it  goes. 

The  little  cycle  of  animal  stories  included  under 
Mikko  the  Fox  will  of  course  instantly  invite  compari- 
son with  the  Beast  Epic  of  Reyiiard  the  Fox.  The  two 
have  many  episodes  in  common  and  both  have  episodes 
to  be  found  in  ^sop  and  in  those  books  of  animal  ana- 
logues, widely  read  in  mediaeval  times,  Physiologus  and 
the  Disdplina  Clericalis  of  Petrus  Alfonsus.  The 
Reynard  as  we  have  it  is  a  finished  satire  on  church  and 
state  and  in  its  present  form  has  been  current  in  Europe 
since  the  twelfth  century.  It  was  thought  at  one  time 
that  the  animal  stories  found  in  Finland  were  debased 
versions  of  the  Reynard  stories,  but  scholars  are  now 
of  opinion  that  they  antedate  Reynard  and  are  similar 
to  the  earlier  simpler  stories  upon  which  the  Reynard 
cycle  was  originally  built.  This  makes  the  little  Finnish 
tales  of  great  interest  to  the  student.  Needless  to  say 
I  do  not  present  them  for  this  reason  but  because  they 


NOTE  ,  xi 

seem  to  me  charming  merely  as  fables.  The  animals 
here  are  not  the  clerics  and  the  judges  and  the  nobles 
that  the  Reynard  animals  are,  but  plain  downright 
Finnish  peasants,  sometimes  stupid,  often  dull,  fre- 
quently amusing,  and  always  very  human. 

I  have  taken  one  liberty  with  spelling.  I  have  trans- 
literated Syojatar,  the  name  of  the  dread  Finnish  witch, 
as  Suyettar.  I  have  been  unwilling  to  translate  by  the 
insufficient  word,  bath-house  or  vapor  bath,  that  very 
characteristic  institution  of  Finnish  family  life,  the 
sauna,  but  have  retained  the  Finnish  word,  sawna,  allow- 
ing the  context  in  each  case  to  indicate  the  meaning. 

P.F. 

New  York 
June  19,  1922 


CONTENTS 

PAOB 

THE  TRUE  BRIDE:  The  Story  of  Ilona  and  the  King's  Son         1 

MIGHTY  MIKiKO:  The  Story  of  a  Poor  Woodsman  and  a 
Grateful  Fox 25 

THE  THREE  CHESTS:  The  Story  of  the  Wicked  Old  Man 

of  the  Sea 47 

LOG:  The  Story  of  the  Hero  Who  Released  the  Sun       .        .        67 

THE   LITTLE  SISTER:  The  Story  of  Suyettar  and  the 
Nine   Brothers 99 

THE  FOREST  BRIDE:  The  Story  of  a  Little  Mouse  Who 
was  a  Princess 121 

THE   ENCHANTED  GROUSE:  The  Story  of  Helli  and 
the  Little  Locked  Box 141 

THE  TERRIBLE  OLLI:  The  Story  of  an  Honest  Finn  and 

a   Wicked   Troll 155 

THE  DEVIL'S  HIDE:  The  Story  of  the  Boy  Who  Wouldn't 

Lose  His  Temper 171 

ziii 


xiv  CONTENTS 

PAQB 

THE  MYSTERIOUS  SERVANT:  The  Story  of  a  Young 

Man  Who  Respected  the  Dead 193 

FAMILIAR  FACES: 

I     Mary,   Mary,   So   Contrary! 209 

II     Jane,  Jane,  Don't  Complain! 215 

III     Susan  Walker,  What  a  Talker ! 221 

MIKKO  THE  FOX:  A  Nursery  Epic  in  Sixteen  Adventures 

I     The  Animals  Take  a  Bite 229 

II     The    Partners 235 

III  The  Fox  and  the  Crow 243 

IV  The  Chief  Mourner 251 

V     Mirri,  the  Cat 257 

VI     The  Fox's  Servant 263 

VII     The  Wolf  Sings 267 

VIII     The  Clever  Goat 273 

IX     The    Harvest 279 

X     The   Porridge 283 

XI     Nurse    Mikko 287 

XII     The  Bear  Says  North 293 

XIII     Osmo's  Share 297 

XIV     The  Reward  of  Kindness 301 

XV     The  Bear  and  the  Mouse 307 

XVI     The  Last  of  Osmo 309 


FULL-PAGE  ILLUSTRATIONS 

Ilona  came  floating  up  through  the  waves  .        .        .     Frontispiece 

PAGE 

The  old  king  snake  has  wound  himself  around  Osmo's  arm     .  15 

The  King  thought  that  if  Mikko  should  see  his  daughter        .  33 

She  fitted  the  key  in  the  lock 57 

"This  last  and  mightiest  battle  is  for  me !"        .         .         •         .  85 

Suyettar    bewitching    Kerttu Ill 

She  beckoned  to  Veikko 135 

On  it  flew  until  it  reached  the  broad  Ocean        .         .         .         .147 

Olli  and  the  Troll's  horse l6l 

From  the  bones  of  the  cattle  he  laid  three  bridges   .         .         .183 

"She  is  under  an  evil  enchantment  and  I  am  delivering  her !"  203 

When  she  got  to  the  middle  of  the  stream 208 

They  were  so  busy  eating  and  drinking 214 

They  carried  home  the  treasure  on  their  backs        .         .         .  220 
Osmo,  the  Bear,  grunted  out :  "Huh !     That's  easy!    We'll  eat 

the  smallest  of  us  next!" 228 

XV 


xvi  ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

"Wake  up,  Pekka !  Wake  up !  There's  butter  running  out  of 
your  nose!" 239 

"I'll  teach  that  Crow  to  interfere  with  my  affairs!"  the  Fox 
muttered  to  himself  as  he  trotted  off 249 

And  Mikko,  beginning  with  a  little  whimpering  sound,  slowly 

rose  to  a  high  heartrending  cry 253 

He  jerked  quickly  away  and  fled  and  the  Bear  was  left  stand- 
ing with  his  mouth  wide  open 259 

A  terrible  creature  landed  on  his  nose  and  drove  it  full  of  pins 

and  needles 262 

The  Wolf  went  staggering  around  the  room  howling  at  the  top 

of  his  voice 269 

In  the  confusion  that  followed  the  Wolves  stampeded,  running 

helter-skelter   in   all   directions 272 

"Here  are  three  of  us  and,  see,  here  on  the  floor  is  our  harvest 

already  divided  into  three  heaps" 278 

He  dropped  it  in  the  water  and  of  course  it  spread  out  far 

and  wide  and  the  current  carried  it  off 282 

He  ran  after  Mikko  and  was  about  to  overtake  him  when 
Mikko  slipped  into  a  crevice  in  the  rocks.  Only  one  paw 
stuck   out 289 

Of  course  the  instant  he  opened  his  mouth,  the  Grouse  flew 

away 292 

"Why,  do  you  know,"  he  said,  "my  turnips  and  my  bread  don't 
taste  a  bit  like  this!" 296 

The  first  person  they  met  was  an  old  Horse.     They  put  their 

case   to   him 300 

Witli  that  the  Bear  lifted  his  paw  and  the  little  Mouse  scam- 
pered  off 306 

So  that  was  the  End     ...  315 


THE  TRUE  BRIDE 


The  Story  of  Ilona  and  the  King's  Son 


THE  TRUE  BRIDE 

There  were  once  two  orphans,  a 
brother  and  a  sister,  who  lived  alone  in 
the  old  farmhouse  where  their  fathers 
before  them  had  lived  for  many  gen- 
erations. The  brother's  name  was 
Osmo,  the  sister's  Ilona.  Osmo  was  an 
industrious  youth,  but  the  farm  was  small  and  barren 
and  he  was  hard  put  to  it  to  make  a  livelihood. 

"Sister,"  he  said  one  day,  "I  think  it  might  be  well 
if  I  went  out  into  the  world  and  found  work." 

"Do  as  you  think  best,  brother,"  Ilona  said.  "I'm 
sure  I  can  manage  on  here  alone." 

So  Osmo  started  off,  promising  to  come  back  for  his 
sister  as  soon  as  he  could  give  her  a  new  home.  He 
wandered  far  and  wide  and  at  last  got  employment 
from  the  King's  Son  as  a  shepherd. 

The  King's  Son  was  about  Osmo's  age,  and  often 
when  he  met  Osmo  tending  his  flocks  he  would  stop  and 
talk  to  him. 


4  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

One  day  Gsmo  told  the  King's  Son  about  his  sister, 
Ilona. 

**I  have  wandered  far  over  the  face  of  the  earth," 
he  said,  "and  never  have  I  seen  so  beautiful  a  maiden 
as  Ilona." 

*'What  does  she  look  like?"  the  King's  Son  asked. 

Osmo  drew  a  picture  of  her  and  she  seemed  to  the 
King's  Son  so  beautiful  that  at  once  he  fell  in  love 
with  her. 

"Osmo,"  he  said,  "if  you  will  go  home  and  get  your 
sister,  I  will  marry  her." 

So  Osmo  hurried  home  not  by  the  long  land  route 
by  which  he  had  come  but  straight  over  the  water  in 
a  boat. 

"Sister,"  he  cried,  as  soon  as  he  saw  Ilona,  "you 
must  come  with  me  at  once  for  the  King's  Son  wishes 
to  marry  you!" 

He  thought  Ilona  would  be  overjoyed,  but  she 
sighed  and  shook  her  head. 

"What  is  it,  sister?    Why  do  you  sigh?" 

"Because  it  grieves  me  to  leave  this  old  house  where 
our  fathers  have  lived  for  so  many  generations." 

"Nonsense,  Ilona!  What  is  this  little  old  house  com- 
pared to  the  King's  castle  where  you  will  live  once 
you  marry  the  King's  Son!" 


THE  TRUE  BRIDE  6 

But  Ilona  only  shook  her  head. 

"It's  no  use,  brother!  I  can't  bear  to  leave  this  old 
house  until  the  grindstone  with  which  our  fathers  for 
generations  ground  their  meal  is  worn  out." 

When  Osmo  found  she  was  firm,  he  went  secretly 
and  broke  the  old  grindstone  into  small  pieces.  He 
then  put  the  pieces  together  so  that  the  stone  looked 
the  same  as  before.  But  of  course  the  next  time  Ilona 
touched  it,  it  fell  apart. 

"Now,  sister,  you'U  come,  will  you  not?"  Osmo 
asked. 

But  again  Ilona  shook  her  head. 

"It's  no  use,  brother.  I  can't  bear  to  go  until  the 
old  stool  where  our  mothers  have  sat  spinning  these 
many  generations  is  worn  through." 

So  again  Osmo  took  things  into  his  own  hands  and 
going  secretly  to  the  old  spinning  stool  he  broke  it  and 
when  Ilona  sat  on  it  again  it  fell  to  pieces. 

Then  Ilona  said  she  couldn't  go  until  the  old  mortar 
which  had  been  in  use  for  generations  should  fall  to 
bits  at  a  blow  from  the  pestle.  Osmo  cracked  the  mor- 
tar and  the  next  time  Ilona  struck  it  with  the  pestle 
it  broke. 

Then  Ilona  said  she  couldn't  go  until  the  old  worn 
doorsill  over  which  so  many  of  their  forefathers  had 


6  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

walked  should  fall  to  splinters  at  the  hrush  of  her 
skirts.  So  Osmo  secretly  split  the  old  doorsill  into  thin 
sHvers  and,  when  next  Ilona  stepped  over  it,  the  brush 
of  her  skirts  sent  the  splinters  flying. 

"I  see  now  I  must  go,"  Ilona  said,  "for  the  house 
of  our  forefathers  no  longer  holds  me.'* 

So  she  packed  all  her  ribbons  and  her  bodices  and 
skirts  in  a  bright  wooden  box  and,  calling  her  little 
dog  Pilka,  she  stepped  into  the  boat  and  Osmo  rowed 
her  off  in  the  direction  of  the  King's  castle. 

Soon  they  passed  a  long  narrow  spit  of  land  at  the 
end  of  which  stood  a  woman  waving  her  arms.  That 
is  she  looked  like  a  woman.  Really  she  was  Suyettar 
but  they,  of  course,  did  not  know  this. 

"Take  me  in  your  boat!"  she  cried. 

"Shall  we?"  Osmo  asked  his  sister. 

"I  don't  think  we  ought  to,"  Ilona  said.  "We  don't 
know  who  she  is  or  what  she  wants  and  she  may  be 
evil." 

So  Osmo  rowed  on.    But  the  woman  kept  shouting: 

"Hi,  there!     Take  me  in  your  boat!     Take  me!" 

A  second  time  Osmo  paused  and  asked  his  sister: 

"Don't  you  think  we  ought  to  take  her?" 

"No,"  Ilona  said. 

So  Osmo  rowed  on  again.    At  this  the  creature  raised 


THE  TRUE  BRIDE  7 

such  a  pitiful  outcry  demanding  what  they  meant  deny- 
ing assistance  to  a  poor  woman  that  Osmo  was  unable 
longer  to  refuse  and  in  spite  of  Ilona's  warning  he 
rowed  to  land. 

Suyettar  instantly  jumped  into  the  boat  and  seated 
herself  in  the  middle  with  her  face  towards  Osmo  and 
her  back  towards  Ilona. 

"What  a  fine  young  man!"  Suyettar  said  in  wliining 
flattering  tones.  "See  how  strong  he  is  at  the  oars! 
And  what  a  beautiful  girl,  too!  I  daresay  the  King's 
Son  would  fall  in  love  with  her  if  ever  he  saw  her!" 

Thereupon  Osmo  very  foolishly  told  Suyettar  that 
the  King's  Son  had  already  promised  to  marry  Ilona. 
At  that  an  evil  look  came  into  Suyettar's  face  and 
she  sat  silent  for  a  time  biting  her  fingers.  Then  she 
began  mumbling  a  spell  that  made  Osmo  deaf  to  what 
Ilona  was  saying  and  Ilona  deaf  to  what  Osmo  was 
saying. 

At  last  in  the  distance  the  towers  of  the  King's 
castle  appeared. 

"Stand  up,  sister!"  Osmo  said.  "Shake  out  your 
skirts  and  arrange  your  pretty  ribbons!  We'll  soon  be 
landing  now!" 

Ilona  could  see  her  brother's  lips  moving  but  of 
course  she  could  not  hear  what  he  was  saying. 


8  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

"What  is  it,  brother?"  she  asked. 

Suyettar  answered  for  him: 

"Osmo  orders  you  to  jump  headlong  into  the  water!'* 

"No!  No!"  Ilona  cried.  "He  couldn't  order  any- 
thing so  cruel  as  that!'* 

Presently  Osmo  said: 

"Sister,  what  ails  you?  Don't  you  hear  me?  Shake 
out  your  skirts  and  arrange  your  pretty  ribbons  for 
we'll  soon  be  landing  now.'* 

"What  is  it,  brother?"  Ilona  asked. 

As  before  Suyettar  answered  for  him: 

"Osmo  orders  you  to  jump  headlong  into  the  water!'* 

"Brother,  how  can  you  order  so  cruel  a  thing!"  Ilona 
cried,  bursting  into  tears.  "Is  it  for  this  you  made 
me  leave  the  home  of  my  fathers?'* 

A  third  time  Osmo  said: 

"Stand  up,  sister,  and  shake  out  your  skirts  and 
arrange  your  ribbons!    We'll  soon  be  landing  now!'* 

"I  can't  hear  you,  brother!    What  is  it  j^ou  say?'* 

Suyettar  turned  on  her  fiercely  and  screamed: 

"Osmo  orders  you  to  jump  headlong  into  the 
water!" 

"If  he  saj^s  I  must,  I  must!"  poor  Ilona  sobbed,  and 
with  that  she  leapt  overboard. 

Osmo  tried  to  save  her  but  Suyettar  held  him  back 


THE  TRUE  BRIDE  9 

and  with  her  own  arms  rowed  off  and  Ilona  was  left 
to  sink. 

"What  will  become  of  me  now!"  Osmo  cried.  "When 
the  King's  Son  finds  I  have  not  brought  him  my  sister 
he  will  surely  order  my  death!" 

"Not  at  all!"  Suyettar  said.  "Do  as  I  say  and  no 
harm  will  come  to  you.  Offer  me  to  the  King's  Son 
and  tell  him  I  am  your  sister.  He  won't  know  the 
difference  and  anyway  I'm  sure  I'm  just  as  beauti- 
ful as  Ilona  ever  was!" 

With  that  Suyettar  opened  the  wooden  box  that 
held  Ilona's  clothes  and  helped  herself  to  skirt  and 
bodice  and  gay  colored  ribbons.  She  decked  herself 
out  in  these  and  for  a  little  while  she  really  did  suc- 
ceed in  looking  like  a  pretty  young  girl. 

So  Osmo  presented  Suyettar  to  the  King's  Son  as 
Ilona,  and  the  King's  Son  because  he  had  given  his 
word  married  her.  But  before  one  day  was  past,  he 
called  Osmo  to  him  and  asked  him  angrily: 

"What  did  you  mean  by  telling  me  your  sister  was 
beautiful?" 

"Isn't  she  beautiful?"  Osmo  faltered. 

"No!  I  thought  she  was  at  first  but  she  isn't!  She 
is  ugly  and  evil  and  you  shall  pay  the  penalty  for 
having  deceived  me!" 


10  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

Thereupon  he  ordered  that  Osmo  be  shut  up  in  a 
place  filled  with  serpents. 

"If  you  are  innocent,"  the  King's  Son  said,  "the 
serpents  will  not  harm  you.  If  you  are  guilty  they  will 
devour  you!" 

Meanwhile  poor  Ilona  when  she  jumped  into  the 
water  sank  down,  down,  down,  until  she  reached  the 
Sea  King's  palace.  They  received  her  kindly  there 
and  comforted  her  and  the  Sea  King's  Son,  touched 
by  her  grief  and  beauty,  offered  to  marry  her.  But 
Ilona  was  homesick  for  the  upper  world  and  would 
not  hsten  to  him. 

"I  want  to  see  my  brother  again!"  she  wept. 

They  told  her  that  the  King's  Son  had  thrown  her 
brother  to  the  serpents  and  had  married  Suyettar  in 
her  stead,  but  Ilona  still  begged  so  pitifully  to  be 
allowed  to  return  to  earth  that  at  last  the  Sea  King 
said: 

"Very  well,  then!  For  three  successive  nights  I  will 
allow  you  to  return  to  the  upper  world.  But  after 
that  never  again!" 

So  they  decked  Ilona  in  the  lovely  jewels  of  the  sea 
with  great  strands  of  pearls  about  her  neck  and  to 
each  of  her  ankles  they  attached  long  silver  chains. 
As  she  rose  in  the  water  the  sound  of  the  chains  was 


THE  TRUE  BRIDE  11 

like  the  chiming  of  silver  bells  and  could  be  heard  for 
five  miles. 

Ilona  came  to  the  surface  of  the  water  just  where 
Osmo  had  landed.  The  first  thing  she  saw  was  his 
boat  at  the  water's  edge  and  curled  up  asleep  in  the 
bottom  of  the  boat  her  own  little  dog,  Pilka. 

"Pilka!"  Ilona  cried,  and  the  little  dog  woke  with 
a  bark  of  joy  and  licked  Ilona's  hand  and  yelped  and 
frisked. 

Then  Ilona  sang  this  magic  song  to  Pilka: 

"Peely,  peely,  Pilka,  pide, 
Lift  the  latch  and  slip  Inside! 
Past  the  watchdog  in  the  yard, 
Past  the  sleeping  men  on  guard ! 
Creep  in  softly  as  a  snake, 
Then  creep  out  before  they  wake ! 
Peely,  peely,  Pilka,  pide, 
Peely,  peely,  Pilka !" 

Pilka  barked  and  frisked  and  said : 

"Yes,  mistress,  yes!    I'll  do  whatever  you  bid  me!" 

Ilona  gave  the  little  dog  an  embroidered  square  of 
gold  and  silver  which  she  herself  had  worked  down 
in  the  Sea  King's  palace. 

"Take  this,"  she  said  to  Pilka,  "and  put  it  on  the 
pillow  where  the  King's  Son  lies  asleep.  Perhaps 
when  he  sees  it  he  will  know  that  it  comes  from  Osmo's 


12  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

true  sister  and  that  the  frightful  creature  he  has  married 
is  Suyettar.  Then  perhaps  he  will  release  Osmo  be- 
fore the  serpents  devour  him.  Go  now,  my  faithful 
Pilka,  and  come  back  to  me  before  the  dawn." 

So  Pilka  raced  off  to  the  King's  palace  carrying  the 
square  of  embroidery  in  her  teeth.  Ilona  waited  and 
half  an  hour  before  sunrise  the  little  dog  came  panting 
back. 

"What  news,  Pilka?  How  fares  my  brother  and 
how  is  my  poor  love,  the  King's  Son?" 

"Osmo  is  still  with  the  serpents,"  Pilka  answered, 
"but  they  haven't  eaten  him  yet.  I  left  the  embroidered 
square  on  the  pillow  where  the  King's  Son's  head  was 
lying.  Suyettar  was  asleep  on  the  bed  beside  him 
where  you  should  be,  dear  mistress.  Suyettar's  awful 
mouth  was  open  and  she  was  snoring  horribly.  The 
King's  Son  moved  uneasily  for  he  was  troubled  even 
in  his  sleep." 

"And  did  you  go  through  the  castle,  Pilka?'* 

"Yes,  dear  mistress." 

"And  did  you  see  the  remains  of  the  wedding  feast?" 

"Yes,  dear  mistress,  the  remains  of  a  feast  that 
shamed  the  King's  Son,  for  Suyettar  served  bones  in- 
stead of  meat,  fish  heads,  turnip  tops,  and  bread  burned 
to  a  cinder." 


THE  TRUE  BRIDE  13 

"Good  Pilka!"  Ilona  said.  "Good  little  dog!  You 
have  done  well!  Now  the  dawn  is  coming  and  I  must 
go  back  to  the  Sea  King's  palace.  But  I  shall  come 
again  to-night  and  also  to-morrow  night  and  do  you 
be  here  waiting  for  me." 

Pilka  promised  and  Ilona  sank  down  into  the  sea 
to  a  clanking  of  chains  that  sounded  hke  silver  bells. 
The  King's  Son  heard  them  in  his  sleep  and  for  a 
moment  woke  and  said: 

"What's  that?'* 

"What's  vhat?"  snarled  Suyettar.  "You're  dream- 
ing!   Go  back  to  sleep!" 

A  few  hours  later  when  he  woke  again,  he  found 
the  lovely  square  of  embroidery  on  his  pillow. 

"Who  made  this?"  he  cried. 

Suyettar  was  busy  combing  her  snaky  locks.  She 
turned  on  him  quickly. 

"Who  made  what?" 

When  she  saw  the  embroidery  she  tried  to  snatch  it 
from  him,  but  he  held  it  tight. 

"I  made  it,  of  course!"  she  declared.  "Who  but  me 
would  sit  up  all  night  and  work  while  you  lay  snoring!" 

But  the  King's  Son,  as  he  folded  the  embroidery, 
muttered  to  himself: 

"It  doesn't  look  to  me  much  like  your  work!" 


14  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

After  he  had  breakfasted,  the  King's  Son  asked  for 
news  of  Osmo.  A  slave  was  sent  to  the  place  of  the 
serpents  and  when  he  returned  he  reported  that  Osmo 
was  sitting  amongst  them  uninjured. 

"The  old  king  snake  has  made  friends  with  him," 
he  added,  "and  has  wound  himself  around  Osmo's 
arm." 

The  King's  Son  was  amazed  at  this  news  and  also 
relieved,  for  the  whole  affair  troubled  him  sorely  and 
he  was  beginning  to  suspect  a  mystery. 

He  knew  an  old  wise  woman  who  lived  alone  in  a 
little  hut  on  the  seashore  and  he  decided  he  would  go 
and  consult  her.  So  he  went  to  her  and  told  her  about 
Osmo  and  how  Osmo  had  deceived  him  in  regard  to 
his  sister.  Then  he  told  her  how  the  serpents  instead 
of  devouring  Osmo  had  made  friends  with  him  and 
last  he  showed  her  the  square  of  lovely  embroidery  he 
had  found  on  his  pillow  that  morning. 

"There  is  a  mystery  somewhere,  granny,"  he  said 
in  conclusion,  "and  I  know  not  how  to  solve  it." 

The  old  woman  looked  at  him  thoughtfully. 

"My  son,"  she  said  at  last,  "that  is  never  Osmo's 
sister  that  you  have  married.  Take  an  old  woman's 
word — it  is  Suyettar!  Yet  Osmo's  sister  must  be  alive 
and  the  embroidery  must  be  a  token  from  her.     It 


The  old  king  snake  has  wound  himself  around  Osmo*s  arm 


THE  TRUE  BRIDE  1'^ 

probably  means  that  she  begs  you  ia  release  her 
brother." 

"Suyettar!"  repeated  the  King's  Son,  aghast. 

At  first  he  couldn't  believe  such  a  horrible  thing 
possible  and  yet  that,  if  it  were  so,  would  explain  much. 

"I  wonder  if  you're  right,"  he  said.  "I  must  be 
on  my  guard!" 

That  night  on  the  stroke  of  midnight  to  the  sound 
of  silver  chimes  Ilona  came  floating  up  through  the 
waves  and  little  Pilka,  as  she  appeared,  greeted  her 
with  barks  of  joy. 

As  before  Ilona  sang: 

"Peely,  peely,  Pilka,  pide, 
Lift  the  latch  and  slip  inside! 
Past  the  watchdog  in  the  yard, 
Past  the  sleeping  men  on  guard ! 
Creep  in  softly  as  a  snake. 
Then  creep  out  before  they  wake ! 
Peely,  peely,  Pilka,  pide, 
Peely,  peely,  Pilka  I" 

This  time  Ilona  gave  Pilka  a  shirt  for  the  King's  Son. 
Beautifully  embroidered  it  was  in  gold  and  silver  and 
Ilona  herself  had  worked  it  in  the  Sea  King's 
palace. 

Pilka  carried  it  safely  to  the  castle  and  left  it  on  the 


18  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

pillow  where  the  King's  Son  could  see  it  as  soon  as  he 
woke.  Then  Pilka  visited  the  place  of  the  serpents  and 
before  the  first  ray  of  dawn  was  back  at  the  seashore 
to  reassure  Ilona  of  Osmo's  safety. 

Then  dawn  came  and  Ilona,  as  she  sank  in  the  waves 
to  the  chime  of  silver  bells,  called  out  to  Pilka: 

"Meet  me  here  to-night  at  the  same  hour!    Fail  me 
not,  dear  Pilka,  for  to-night  is  the  last  night  that  the 
Sea  King  will  allow  me  to  come  to  the  upper  world  1" 
Pilka,  howling  with  grief,  made  promise: 
"I'll  be  here,  dear  mistress,  that  I  will!" 
The  King's  Son  that  morning,  as  he  opened  his  eyes, 
saw  the  embroidered  shirt  lying  on  the  pillow  at  his 
head.     He  thought  at  first  he  must  be  dreaming  for 
it  was  more  beautiful  than  any  shirt  that  had  ever 
been  worked  by  human  fingers. 

"Ah!"  he  sighed  at  last,  "who  made  this?" 
"Who  made  what?"  Suyettar  demanded  rudely. 
When  she  saw  the  shirt  she  tried  to  snatch  it,  but 
the  King's  Son  held  it  from  her.    Then  she  pretended 
to  laugh  and  said: 

"Oh,  that!  I  made  it,  of  course!  Do  you  think  any 
one  else  in  the  world  would  sit  up  all  night  and  work 
for  you  while  you  lie  there  snoring!  And  small  thanks 
I  get  for  it,  tool'* 


THE  TRUE  BRIDE  19 

"It  doesn't  look  to  me  like  your  work!"  said  the 
King's  Son  significantly. 

Again  the  slave  reported  to  him  that  Osmo  was  alive 
and  unhurt  by  the  serpents. 

"Strange!"  thought  the  King's  Son. 

He  took  the  embroidered  shirt  and  made  the  old  wise 
woman  another  visit. 

"Ah!"  she  said,  when  she  saw  the  shirt,  "now  I  un- 
derstand! Listen,  my  Prince:  last  night  at  midnight 
I  was  awakened  by  the  chime  of  silver  bells  and  I  got 
up  and  looked  out  the  door.  Just  there  at  the  water's 
edge,  close  to  that  little  boat,  I  saw  a  strange  sight. 
A  lovely  maiden  rose  from  the  waves  holding  in  her 
hands  the  very  shirt  that  you  now  have.  A  little  dog 
that  was  lying  in  the  boat  greeted  her  with  barks  of 
joy.  She  sang  a  magic  rime  to  the  dog  and  gave  it 
the  shirt  and  off  it  ran.  That  maid,  my  Prince,  must 
be  Ilona.  She  must  be  in  the  Sea  King's  power  and  I 
think  she  is  begging  you  to  rescue  her  and  to  release 
her  brother." 

The  King's  Son  slowly  nodded  his  head. 

"Granny,  I'm  sure  what  you  say  is  true!  Help  me 
to  rescue  Ilona  and  I  shall  reward  you  richly." 

"Then,  my  son,  you  must  act  at  once,  for  to-night, 
I  heard  Ilona  say,  is  the  last  night  that  the  Sea  King 


20  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

will  allow  her  to  come  to  the  upper  world.  Go  now 
to  the  smith  and  have  him  forge  you  a  strong  iron 
chain  and  a  great  strong  scythe.  Then  to-night  hide 
you  down  yonder  in  the  shadow  of  the  boat.  At  mid- 
night when  you  hear  the  silver  chimes  and  the  maiden 
slowly  rises  from  the  waves,  throw  the  iron  chain  about 
her  and  quickly  draw  her  to  you.  Then,  with  one  sweep 
of  your  scythe,  cut  the  silver  chains  that  are  fastened 
to  her  ankles.  But  remember,  my  son,  that  is  not  all. 
She  is  under  enchantment  and  as  you  try  to  grasp  her 
the  Sea  King  will  change  her  to  many  things — a  fish, 
a  bird,  a  fly,  and  I  know  not  what,  and  if  in  any  form 
she  escape  you,  then  all  is  lost.'* 

At  once  the  King's  Son  hurried  away  to  the  smithy 
and  had  the  smith  forge  him  a  strong  iron  chain  and 
a  heavy  sharp  scythe.  Then  when  night  fell  he  hid  in 
the  shadow  of  the  boat  and  waited.  Pilka  snuggled 
up  beside  him.  Midnight  came  and  to  the  sweet  chim- 
ing as  of  silver  bells  Ilona  slowly  rose  from  the  waves. 
As  she  came  she  began  singing: 


"Peely,  peely,  Pilka,  pide " 

Instantly  the  King's  Son  threw  the  strong  iron  chain 
about  her  and  drew  her  to  him.  Then  with  one  mighty 
sweep  of  the  scythe  he  severed  the  silver  chains  that 


THE  TRUE  BRIDE  21 

were  attached  to  her  ankles  and  the  silver  chains  fell 
chiming  into  the  depths.  Another  instant  and  the 
maiden  in  his  arms  was  no  maiden  but  a  slimy  fish  that 
squirmed  and  wriggled  and  almost  slipped  through  his 
fingers.  He  killed  the  fish  and,  lo!  it  was  not  a  fish 
but  a  frightened  bird  that  struggled  to  escape.  He 
killed  the  bird  and,  lo !  it  was  not  a  bird  but  a  writhing 
lizard.  And  so  on  through  many  transformations, 
growing  finally  small  and  weak  until  at  last  there  was 
only  a  mosquito.  He  crushed  this  and  in  his  arms  he 
found  again  the  lovely  Ilona. 

"Ah,  dear  one,"  he  said,  "you  are  my  true  bride 
and  not  Suyettar  who  pretended  she  was  you!  Come, 
we  will  go  at  once  to  the  castle  and  confront  her!'* 

But  Ilona  cried  out  at  this: 

"Not  there,  my  Prince,  not  there!  Suyettar  if  she 
saw  me  would  kill  me  and  devour  mel  Keep  me  from 
her!" 

"Very  well,  my  dear  one,"  the  King's  Son  said. 
"We'll  wait  until  to-morrow  and  after  to-morrow  there 
will  be  no  Suyettar  to  fear." 

So  for  that  night  they  took  shelter  in  the  old  wise 
woman's  hut,  Ilona  and  the  King's  Son  and  faithful 
little  Pilka. 

The  next  morning  early  the  King's  Son  returned  to 


22  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

the  castle  and  had  the  sauna  heated.  Just  inside  the 
door  he  had  a  deep  hole  dug  and  filled  it  with  burning 
tar.  Then  over  the  top  of  the  hole  he  stretched  a  brown 
mat  and  on  the  brown  mat  a  blue  mat.  When  all  was 
ready  he  went  indoors  and  roused  Suyettar. 

"Where  have  you  been  all  night?"  she  demanded 
angrily. 

"Forgive  me  this  time,"  he  begged  in  pretended 
humility,  "and  I  promise  never  again  to  be  parted 
from  my  own  true  bride.  Come  now,  my  dear,  and 
bathe  for  the  sauna  is  ready." 

Then  Suyettar,  who  loved  to  have  people  see  her 
go  to  the  sauna  just  as  if  she  were  a  real  human  being, 
put  on  a  long  bathrobe  and  clapped  her  hands.  Four 
slaves  appeared.  Two  took  up  the  train  of  her  bath- 
robe and  the  two  others  supported  her  on  either  side. 
Slowly  she  marched  out  of  the  castle,  across  the  court- 
yard, and  over  to  the  sauna. 

"They  all  really  think  I'm  a  human  princess!"  she 
said  to  herself,  and  she  was  so  sure  she  was  beautiful 
and  admired  that  she  tossed  her  head  and  smirked  from 
side  to  side  and  took  little  mincing  steps. 

When  she  reached  the  sauna  she  was  ready  to  drop 
the  bathrobe  and  jump  over  the  door  sill  to  the  steam- 
ing shelf,  but  the  King's  Son  whispered : 


THE  TRUE  BRIDE  23 

"Nay!  Nay!  Remember  yom-  dignity  as  a  beautiful 
princess  and  walk  over  the  blue  mat!" 

So  with  one  more  toss  of  her  head,  one  more  smirk 
of  her  ugly  face,  Suyettar  stepped  on  the  blue  mat 
and  sank  into  the  hole  of  burning  tar.  Then  the  King's 
Son  quickly  locked  the  door  of  the  sauna  and  left  her 
there  to  burn  in  the  tar,  for  burning,  you  know,  is  the 
only  way  to  destroy  Suyettar.  As  she  burned  the  last 
hateful  thing  Suyettar  did  was  to  tear  out  handfuls  of 
her  hair  and  scatter  them  broadcast  in  the  air. 

"Let  these,"  she  cried,  yelling  and  cursing,  "turn  into 
mosquitos  and  worms  and  moths  and  trouble  mankind 
forever!" 

Then  her  yells  grew  fainter  and  at  last  ceased  alto- 
gether and  the  King's  Son  knew  that  it  was  now  safe 
to  bring  Ilona  home.  First,  however,  he  had  Osmo  re- 
leased from  the  place  of  the  serpents  and  asked  his 
forgiveness  for  the  unjust  punishment. 

Then  he  and  Osmo  together  went  to  the  hut  of  the 
old  wise  woman  and  there  with  tears  of  happiness  the 
brother  and  sister  were  reunited.  The  King's  Son  to 
show  his  gratitude  to  the  old  wise  woman  begged  her  to 
accompany  them  to  the  castle  and  presently  they  all 
set  forth  with  Pilka  frisking  ahead  and  barking  for 

joy- 


24.  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

That  day  there  was  a  new  wedding  feast  spread  at 
the  castle  and  this  time  it  was  not  bones  and  fish  heads 
and  burnt  crusts  but  such  food  as  the  King's  Son  had 
not  tasted  for  many  a  day. 

To  celebrate  his  happy  marriage  the  King's  Son  made 
Osmo  his  chamberlain  and  gave  Pilka  a  beautiful  new 
collar. 

"Now  at  last,"  Ilona  said,  "I  am  glad  I  left  the  house 
of  my  forefathers." 


MIGHTY  MIKKO 


The  Story  of  a  Poor  Woodsman  and  a  Grateful  Fox 


MIGHTY  MIKKO 


There  was  once  an  old  woodsman 
and  his  wife  who  had  an  only  son 
named  Mikko.  As  the  mother  lay 
dying  the  young  man  wept  bitterly. 

"When    you    are    gone,    my    dear 
mother,"  he  said,  "there  will  be  no  one 
left  to  think  of  me." 

The  poor  woman  comforted  him  as  best  she  could 
and  said  to  him: 

"You  will  still  have  your  father." 
Shortly  after  the  woman's  death,  the  old  man,  too, 
was  taken  ill. 

^'Now,  indeed,  I  shall  be  left  desolate  and  alone," 
Mikko  thought,  as  he  sat  beside  his  father's  bedside 
and  saw  him  grow  weaker  and  weaker. 

"My  boy,"  the  old  man  said  just  before  he  died,  "I 
have  nothing  to  leave  you  but  the  three  snares  with 
which  these  many  years  I  have  caught  wild  animals. 
Those  snares  now  belong  to  you.     When  I  am  dead, 

27 


28  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

go  into  the  woods  and  if  you  find  a  wild  creature  caught 
in  any  of  them,  free  it  gently  and  bring  it  home  alive." 

After  his  father's  death,  Mikko  remembered  the 
snares  and  went  out  to  the  woods  to  see  them.  The  first 
was  empty  and  also  the  second,  but  in  the  third  he 
found  a  little  red  Fox.  He  carefully  lifted  the  spring 
that  had  shut  down  on  one  of  the  Fox's  feet  and  then 
carried  the  little  creature  home  in  his  arms.  He  shared 
his  supper  with  it  and  when  he  lay  down  to  sleep  the 
Fox  curled  up  at  his  feet.  They  lived  together  some 
time  until  they  became  close  friends. 

"Mikko,"  said  the  Fox  one  day,  "why  are  you  so 
sad?" 

"Because  I'm  lonely." 

"Pooh!"  said  the  Fox.  "That's  no  way  for  a  young 
man  to  talk!  You  ought  to  get  married!  Then  you 
wouldn't  feel  lonely!'* 

"Married!"  Mikko  repeated.  "How  can  I  get 
married?  I  can't  marry  a  poor  girl  because  I'm  too 
poor  myself  and  a  rich  girl  wouldn't  marry  me." 

"Nonsense!"  said  the  Fox.  "You're  a  fine  well  set 
up  young  man  and  you're  kind  and  gentle.  ^Vhat  more 
could  a  princess  ask?" 

Mikko  laughed  to  think  of  a  princess  wanting  him 
for  a  husband. 


MIGHTY  MIKKO  29 

"I  mean  what  I  say!"  the  Fox  Insisted.  "Take  our 
own  Princess  now.  What  would  you  think  of  marry- 
ing her?" 

Mikko  laughed  louder  than  before. 

"I  have  heard,"  he  said,  "that  she  is  the  most  beau- 
tiful princess  in  the  world!  Any  man  would  be  happy 
to  marry  her!" 

"Very  well,"  the  Fox  said,  "if  you  feel  that  way 
about  her  then  I'll  arrange  the  wedding  for  you." 

With  that  the  little  Fox  actually  did  trot  off  to  the 
royal  castle  and  gain  audience  with  the  King. 

"My  master  sends  you  greetings,"  the  Fox  said, 
"and  he  begs  you  to  loan  him  your  bushel  measure." 

"My  bushel  measure!"  the  King  repeated  in  sur- 
prise. "Who  is  your  master  and  why  does  he  want 
my  bushel  measure?" 

"Ssh!"  the  Fox  whispered  as  though  he  didn't  want 
the  courtiers  to  hear  what  he  was  saying.  Then  slipping 
up  quite  close  to  the  King  he  murmured  in  his  ear: 

"Surely  you  have  heard  of  Mikko,  haven't  you? — 
Mighty  Mikko  as  he's  called." 

The  King  had  never  heard  of  any  Mikko  who  was 
known  as  Mighty  Mikko  but,  thinking  that  perhaps 
he  should  have  heard  of  him,  he  shook  his  head  and 
murmured : 


30  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

"H'm!  Mikko!  Mighty  Mikko!  Oh,  to  be  sure! 
Yes,  yes,  of  course!'* 

"My  master  is  about  to  start  off  on  a  journey  anS 
he  needs  a  bushel  measure  for  a  very  particular  reason." 

"I  understand!  I  understand!"  the  King  said,  al- 
though he  didn't  understand  at  all,  and  he  gave  orders 
that  the  bushel  measure  which  they  used  in  the  store- 
room of  the  castle  be  brought  in  and  given  to  the  Fox. 

The  Fox  carried  off  the  measure  and  hid  it  in  the 
woods.  Then  he  scurried  about  to  all  sorts  of  little 
out  of  the  way  nooks  and  crannies  where  people  had 
hidden  their  savings  and  he  dug  up  a  gold  piece  here 
and  a  silver  piece  there  until  he  had  a  handful.  Then 
he  went  back  to  the  woods  and  stuck  the  various  coins 
in  the  cracks  of  the  measure.  The  next  day  he  returned 
to  the  King. 

"My  master,  Mighty  Mikko,"  he  said,  "sends  you 
thanks,  O  King,  for  the  use  of  your  bushel  measure." 

The  King  held  out  his  hand  and  when  the  Fox  gave 
him  the  measure  he  peeped  inside  to  see  if  by  chance  it 
contained  any  trace  of  what  had  recently  been  measured. 
His  eye  of  course  at  once  caught  the  glint  of  the  gold 
and  silver  coins  lodged  in  the  cracks. 

"Ah  I'*  he  said,  thinking  Mikko  must  be  a  very 
mighty  lord  indeed  to  be  so  careless  of  his  wealth;  "I 


MIGHTY  MIKKO  31 

should  like  to  meet  your  master.    Won't  you  and  he 
come  and  visit  me?" 

This  was  what  the  Fox  wanted  the  King  to  say 
but  he  pretended  to  hesitate. 

"I  thank  your  Majesty  for  the  kind  invitation,"  he 
said,  "but  I  fear  my  master  can't  accept  it  just  now. 
He  wants  to  get  married  soon  and  we  are  about  to 
start  off  on  a  long  journey  to  inspect  a  number  of  for- 
eign princesses." 

This  made  the  King  all  the  more  anxious  to  have 
Mikko  visit  him  at  once  for  he  thought  that  if  Mikko 
should  see  his  daughter  before  he  saw  those  foreign 
princesses  he  might  fall  in  love  with  her  and  marry  her. 
So  he  said  to  the  Fox: 

"My  dear  fellow,  you  must  prevail  on  your  master 
to  make  me  a  visit  before  he  starts  out  on  his  travels  I 
You  will,  won't  you?" 

The  Fox  looked  this  way  and  that  as  if  he  were 
too  embarrassed  to  speak. 

"Your  Majesty,"  he  said  at  last,  "I  pray  you  pardon 
my  frankness.  The  truth  is  you  are  not  rich  enough 
to  entertain  my  master  and  your  castle  isn't  big  enough 
to  house  the  immense  retinue  that  always  attends  him." 

The  King,  who  by  this  time  was  frantic  to  see  Mikko, 
lost  his  head  completely. 


32  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

"My  dear  Fox,"  he  said,  "I'll  give  you  anything  in 
the  world  if  you  prevail  upon  your  master  to  visit  me 
at  once!  Couldn't  you  suggest  to  him  to  travel  with 
a  modest  retinue  this  time?" 

The  Fox  shook  his  head. 

"No.  His  rule  is  either  to  travel  with  a  great  retinue 
or  to  go  on  foot  disguised  as  a  poor  woodsman  attended 
only  by  me.'* 

"Couldn't  you  prevail  on  him  to  come  to  me  dis- 
guised as  a  poor  woodsman?"  the  King  begged.  "Once 
he  was  here,  I  could  place  gorgeous  clothes  at  his 
disposal." 

But  still  the  Fox  shook  his  head. 

"I  fear  Your  Majesty's  wardrobe  doesn't  contain  the 
kind  of  clothes  my  master  is  accustomed  to." 

"I  assure  you  I've  got  some  very  good  clothes,"  the 
King  said.  "Come  along  this  minute  and  we'll  go 
through  them  and  I'm  sure  you'll  find  some  that  your 
master  would  wear." 

So  they  went  to  a  room  which  was  like  a  big  ward- 
robe with  hundreds  and  hundreds  of  hooks  upon  which 
were  hung  hundreds  of  coats  and  breeches  and  embroid- 
ered shirts.  The  King  ordered  his  attendants  to  bring 
the  costumes  down  one  by  one  and  place  them  before 
the  Fox. 


The  King  thought  that  if  Mikko  should  see  his  daughter 


MIGHTY  MIKKO  35 

They  began  with  the  plainer  clothes. 

"Good  enough  for  most  people,"  the  Fox  said,  "but 
not  for  my  master." 

Then  they  took  down  garments  of  a  finer  grade. 

"I'm  afraid  you're  going  to  all  this  trouble  for 
nothing,"  the  Fox  said.  "Frankly  now,  don't  you  real- 
ize that  my  master  couldn't  possibly  put  on  any  of 
these  things!" 

The  King,  who  had  hoped  to  keep  for  his  own  use 
his  most  gorgeous  clothes  of  all,  now  ordered  these  to 
be  shown. 

The  Fox  looked  at  them  sideways,  sniffed  them  criti- 
cally, and  at  last  said: 

"Well,  perhaps  my  master  would  consent  to  wear 
these  for  a  few  days.  They  are  not  what  he  is  accus- 
tomed to  wear  but  I  will  say  this  for  him:  he  is  not 
proud." 

The  King  was  overjoyed. 

"Very  well,  my  dear  Fox,  I'll  have  the  guest  cham- 
Ijers  put  in  readiness  for  your  master's  visit  and  I'll 
have  all  these,  my  finest  clothes,  laid  out  for  him.  You 
won't  disappoint  me,  will  you?" 

"I'll  do  my  best,"  the  Fox  promised. 

With  that  he  bade  the  King  a  civil  good  day  and 
ran  home  to  Mikko. 


36  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

The  next  day  as  the  Princess  was  peeping  out  of  an 
upper  window  of  the  castle,  she  saw  a  young  woods- 
man approaching  accompanied  by  a  Fox.  He  was  a 
fine  stalwart  youth  and  the  Princess,  who  knew  from 
the  presence  of  the  Fox  that  he  must  be  Mikko,  gave 
a  long  sigh  and  confided  to  her  serving  maid: 

*'I  think  I  could  fall  in  love  with  that  young  man 
if  he  really  were  only  a  woodsman!" 

Later  when  she  saw  him  arrayed  in  her  father's 
finest  clothes — which  looked  so  well  on  Mikko  that  no 
one  even  recognized  them  as  the  King's — she  lost  her 
heart  completely  and  when  Mikko  was  presented  to 
her  she  blushed  and  trembled  just  as  any  ordinary  girl 
might  before  a  handsome  young  man. 

All  the  Court  was  equally  delighted  with  Mikko. 
The  ladies  went  into  ecstasies  over  his  modest  man- 
ners, his  fine  figure,  and  the  gorgeousness  of  his 
clothes,  and  the  old  graybeard  Councilors,  nodding 
their  heads  in  approval,  said  to  each  other: 

"Nothing  of  the  coxcomb  about  this  young  fellow! 
In  spite  of  his  great  wealth  see  how  politely  he  listens 
to  us  when  we  talk  I" 

The  next  day  the  Fox  went  privately  to  the  King, 
and  said: 

"My  master  is  a  man  of  few  words  and  quick  judg- 


MIGHTY  MIKKO  37 

merit.  He  bids  me  tell  you  that  your  daughter,  the 
Princess,  pleases  him  mightily  and  that,  with  your  ap- 
proval, he  will  make  his  addresses  to  her  at  once." 

The  King  was  greatly  agitated  and  began: 

"My  dear  Fox—"  . 

But  the  Fox  interrupted  him  to  say: 

*'Think  the  matter  over  carefully  and  give  me  your 
decision  to-morrow." 

So  the  King  consulted  with  the  Princess  and  with 
his  Councilors  and  in  a  short  time  the  marriage  was 
arranged  and  the  wedding  ceremony  actually  per- 
formed ! 

"Didn't  I  tell  you?"  the  Fox  said,  when  he  land 
Mikko  were  alone  after  the  wedding. 

"Yes,"  Mikko  acknowledged,  "you  did  promise  that 
I  should  marry  the  Princess.  But,  tell  me,  now  that 
I  am  married  what  am  I  to  do?  I  can't  live  on  here 
forever  with  my  wife." 

"Put  your  mind  at  rest,"  the  Fox  said.  "I've  thought 
of  everything.  Just  do  as  I  tell  you  and  you'll  have 
nothing  to  regret.  To-night  say  to  the  King:  'It  is 
now  only  fitting  that  you  should  visit  me  and  see  for 
yourself  the  sort  of  castle  over  which  your  daughter  is 
hereafter  to  be  mistress !'  " 

When  Mikko  said  this  to  the  King,  the  King  was 


38  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

overjoyed  for  now  that  the  marriage  had  actually 
taken  place  he  was  wondering  whether  he  hadn't  per- 
haps been  a  little  hasty.  Mikko's  words  reassured  him 
and  he  eagerly  accepted  the  invitation. 

On  the  morrow  the  Fox  said  to  Mikko : 

"Now  I'll  run  on  ahead  and  get  things  ready  for 
you." 

"But  where  are  you  going?"  Mikko  said,  frightened 
at  the  thought  of  being  deserted  by  his  little  friend. 

The  Fox  drew  Mikko  aside  and  whispered  softly: 

"A  few  days'  march  from  here  there  is  a  very  gor- 
geous castle  belonging  to  a  wicked  old  dragon  who  is 
known  as  the  Worm.  I  think  the  Worm's  castle  would 
just  about  suit  you." 

"I'm  sure  it  would,"  Mikko  agreed.  "But  how  are 
we  to  get  it  away  from  the  Worm?" 

"Trust  me,"  the  Fox  said.  "All  you  need  do  is  this: 
lead  the  King  and  his  courtiers  along  the  main  hig'hway 
until  by  noon  to-morrow  you  reach  a  crossroads.  Turn 
there  to  the  left  and  go  straight  on  until  you  see  the 
tower  of  the  Worm's  castle.  If  you  meet  any  men  by 
the  wayside,  shepherds  or  the  like,  ask  them  whose  men 
they  are  and  show  no  surprise  at  their  answer.  So  now, 
dear  master,  farewell  until  we  meet  again  at  your  beau- 
tiful castle." 


MIGHTY  MIKKO  39 

The  little  Fox  trotted  off  at  a  smart  pace  and  Mikko 
and  the  Princess  and  the  King  attended  by  the  whole 
Court  followed  in  more  leisurely  fashion. 

The  little  Fox,  when  he  had  left  the  main  highway 
at  the  crossroads,  soon  met  ten  woodsmen  with  axes 
over  their  shoulders.  They  were  all  dressed  in  blue 
smocks  of  the  same  cut. 

"Good  day,"  the  Fox  said  politely.  "Whose  men 
are  you?" 

"Our  master  is  known  as  the  Worm,"  the  woodsmen 
told  him. 

"My  poor,  poor  lads!"  the  Fox  said,  s(haking  his  head 
sadly. 

"What's  the  matter?"  the  woodsmen  asked. 

For  a  few  moments  the  Fox  pretended  to  be  too  over- 
come with  emotion  to  speak.    Then  he  said : 

"My  poor  lads,  don't  you  know  that  the  King  is 
coming  with  a  great  force  to  destroy  the  Worm  and  all 
his  people?" 

The  woodsmen  were  simple  fellows  and  this  news 
threw  them  into  great  consternation. 

"Is  there  no  way  for  us  to  escape?"  they  asked. 

The  Fox  put  his  paw  to  his  head  and  thought. 

"Well,"  he  said  at  last,  "there  is  one  way  you  might 
escape  and  that  is  by  telling  every  one  who  asks  you 


40  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

that  you  are  the  Mighty  Mikko's  men.  But  if  you 
value  your  lives  never  again  say  that  your  master  is 
the  Worm." 

"We  are  Mighty  Mikko's  men!"  the  woodsmen  at 
once  began  repeating  over  and  over.  "We  are  Mighty 
Mikko's  men!" 

A  little  farther  on  the  road  the  Fox  met  twenty 
grooms,  dressed  in  the  same  blue  smocks,  who  were  tend- 
ing a  hundred  beautiful  horses.  The  Fox  talked  to 
the  twenty  grooms  as  he  had  talked  to  the  woodsmen 
and  before  he  left  them  they,  too,  were  shouting: 

"We  are  Mighty  Mikko's  men!" 

Next  the  Fox  came  to  a  huge  flock  of  a  thousand 
sheep  tended  by  thirty  shepherds  all  dressed  in  the 
Worm's  blue  smocks.  He  stopped  and  talked  to 
them  until  he  had  them  roaring  out: 

"We  are  Mighty  Mikko's  men!" 

Then  the  Fox  trotted  on  until  he  reached  the  castle 
of  the  Worm.  He  found  the  Worm  himself  inside  loll- 
ing lazily  about.  He  was  a  huge  dragon  and  had  been 
a  great  warrior  in  his  day.  In  fact  his  castle  and  his 
lands  and  his  servants  and  his  possessions  had  all  been 
won  in  battle.  But  now  for  many  years  no  one  had 
cared  to  fight  him  and  he  had  grown  fat  and  lazy. 

"Good  day,"  the  Fox  said,  pretending  to  be  very 


MIGHTY  MIKKO  41 

breathless  and  frightened.  "You're  the  Worm,  aren't 
you?" 

"Yes,"  the  dragon  said,  boastfully,  "I  am  the  great 
Worm!" 

The  Fox  pretended  to  grow  more  agitated. 

"My  poor  fellow,  I  am  sorry  for  you!  But  of  course 
none  of  us  can  expect  to  live  forever.  Well,  I  must 
hurry  along.  I  thought  I  would  just  stop  and  say 
good-by." 

Made  uneasy  by  the  Fox's  words,  the  Worm  cried 
out: 

"Wait  just  a  minute!     What's  the  matter?" 

The  Fox  was  already  at  the  door  but  at  the  Worm's 
entreaty  he  paused  and  said  over  his  shoulder: 

"Why,  my  poor  fellow,  you  surely  know,  don't  you? 
that  the  King  with  a  great  force  is  coming  to  destroy 
you  and  all  your  people!" 

"What!"  the  Worm  gasped,  turning  a  sickly  green 
with  fright.  He  knew  he  was  fat  and  helpless  and 
could  never  again  fight  as  in  the  years  gone  by. 

"Don't  go  just  yet!"  he  begged  the  Fox.  "When  is 
the  King  coming?" 

"He's  on  the  highway  now!  That's  why  I  must  be 
going !    Good-by !" 

"My  dear  Fox,  stay  just  a  moment  and  I'll  reward 


42  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

you  richly!  Help  me  to  hide  so  that  the  King  won't 
find  me!  What  about  the  shed  where  the  linen  is 
stored?  I  could  crawl  under  the  linen  and  then  if  you 
locked  the  door  from  the  outside  the  King  could  never 
find  me." 

"Very  well,"  the  Fox  agreed,  "but  we  must  hurry!" 

So  they  ran  outside  to  the  shed  where  the  linen  was 
kept  and  the  Worm  hid  himself  under  the  linen.  The 
Fox  locked  the  door,  then  set  fire  to  the  shed,  and  soon 
there  was  nothing  left  of  that  wicked  old  dragon,  the 
Worm,  but  a  handful  of  ashes. 

The  Fox  now  called  together  the  dragon's  household 
and  talked  them  over  to  Mikko  as  he  had  the  woodsmen 
and  the  grooms  and  the  shepherds. 

Meanwhile  the  King  and  his  party  were  slowly  cov- 
ering the  ground  over  which  the  Fox  had  sped  so 
quickly.  WTien  they  came  to  the  ten  woodsmen  in  blue 
smocks,  the  King  said: 

"I  wonder  whose  woodsmen  those  are." 

One  of  his  attendants  asked  the  woodsmen  and  the 
ten  of  them  shouted  out  at  the  top  of  their  voices: 

"We  are  Mighty  Mikko's  men!" 

Mikko  said  nothing  and  the  King  and  all  the  Court 
were  impressed  anew  with  his  modesty. 

A  little  farther  on  they  met  the  twenty  grooms  with 


MIGHTY  MIKKO  •  43 

their  hundred  prancing  horses.  When  the  grooms  were 
questioned,  they  answered  with  a  shout: 

"We  are  Mighty  Mikko's  men!" 

"The  Fox  certainly  spoke  the  truth,"  the  King  thought 
to  himself,  "when  he  told  me  of  Mikko's  riches!" 

A  little  later  the  thirty  shepherds  when  they  were 
questioned  made  answer  in  a  chorus  that  was  deafening 
to  hear : 

"We  are  Mighty  Mikko's  men!" 

The  sight  of  the  thousand  sheep  that  belonged  to  his 
son-in-law  made  the  King  feel  poor  and  humble  in  com- 
parison and  the  courtiers  whispered  among  themselves: 

"For  all  his  simple  manner,  Mighty  Mikko  must  be 
a  richer,  more  powerful  lord  than  the  King  himself! 
In  fact  it  is  only  a  very  great  lord  indeed  who  could 
be  so  simple!" 

At  last  they  reached  the  castle  which  from  the  blue 
smocked  soldiers  that  guarded  the  gateway  they  knew 
to  be  Mikko's.  The  Fox  came  out  to  welcome  the 
King's  party  and  behind  him  in  two  rows  all  the 
household  servants.  These,  at  a  signal  from  the  Fox, 
cried  out  in  one  voice: 

"We  are  Mighty  Mikko's  men!" 

Then  Mikko  in  the  same  simple  manner  that  he 
would  have  used  in  his  father's  mean  little  hut  in  the 


44.  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

woods  bade  the  King  and  his  followers  welcome  and 
they  all  entered  the  castle  where  they  found  a  great 
feast  already  prepared  and  waiting. 

The  King  stayed  on  for  several  days  and  the  more 
he  saw  of  Mikko  the  better  pleased  he  was  that  he  had 
him  for  a  son-in-law. 

When  he  was  leaving  he  said  to  Mikko : 

"Your  castle  is  so  much  grander  than  mine  that  I 
hesitate  ever  asking  you  back  for  a  visit." 

But  Mikko  reassured  the  King  by  saying  ear- 
nestly: 

"My  dear  father-in-law,  when  first  I  entered  your 
castle  I  thought  it  was  the  most  beautiful  castle  in  the 
world!'* 

The  King  was  flattered  and  the  courtiers  whispered 
among  themselves : 

'How  affable  of  him  to  say  that  when  he  knows 
very  well  how  much  grander  his  own  castle  is!" 

WTien  the  King  and  his  followers  were  safely  gone, 
the  little  red  Fox  came  to  Mikko  and  said : 

"Now,  nxy  master,  you  have  no  reason  to  feel  sad 
and  lonely.  You  are  lord  of  the  most  beautiful  castle 
in  the  world  and  you  have  for  wife  a  sweet  and  lovely 
Princess.  You  have  no  longer  any  need  of  me,  so  I  am 
going  to  bid  you  farewell." 


MIGHTY  MIKKO  45 

Mikko  thanked  the  little  Fox  for  all  he  had  done 
and  the  little  Fox  trotted  off  to  the  woods. 

So  you  see  that  Mikko's  poor  old  father,  although 
he  had  no  wealth  to  leave  his  son,  was  really  the  cause 
of  all  Mikko's  good  fortune,  for  it  was  he  who  told 
Mikko  in  the  first  place  to  carry  home  alive  anything 
he  might  find  caught  in  the  snares. 


THE  THREE  CHESTS 


The  Story  of  the  Wicked  Old  Man  of  the  Sea 


THE  THREE  CHESTS 


SiJSt^ 


There  was  once  an  honest  old  farmer 
who  had  three  daughters.  His  farm 
ran  down  to  the  shores  of  a  deep  lake. 
One  day  as  he  leaned  over  the  water 
to  take  a  drink,  wricked  old  Wetehinen 
reached  up  from  the  bottom  of  the 
lake  and  clutched  him  by  the  beard. 

"Ouch!    Ouch!"  the  farmer  cried.    "Let  me  go!" 
Wetehinen  only  held  on  more  tightly. 
"Yes,  I'll  let  you  go,"  he  said,  "but  only  on  this 
condition:  that  you  give  me  one  of  your  daughters 
for  wife!" 

"Give  you  one  of  my  daughters?    Never!" 
"Very  well,  then  I'll  never  let  go!"  wicked  old  Wete- 
hinen declared  and  with  that  he  began  jerking  at  the 
beard  as  if  it  were  a  bellrope. 

"Wait!    Wait!"  the  farmer  spluttered. 
Now  he  didn't  want  to  give  one  of  his  daughters  to 
wicked  old  Wetehinen — of  course  not!     But  at  the 

49 


60  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

same  time  he  was  in  Wetehinen's  power  and  he  real- 
ized that  if  he  didn't  do  what  the  old  reprobate  de- 
manded he  might  lose  his  life  and  so  leave  all  three  of 
his  daughters  orphans.  Perhaps  for  the  good  of  all  he 
had  better  sacrifice  one  of  them. 

"All  right,"  he  said,  "let  me  go  and  I'll  send  you  my 
oldest  daughter.     I  promise." 

So  Wetehinen  let  go  his  beard  and  the  farmer 
scrambled  to  his  feet  and  hurried  home. 

"My  dear,"  he  said  to  his  oldest  daughter,  "I  left  a 
bit  of  the  harness  down  at  the  lake.  Like  a  good  girl 
will  you  run  down  and  get  it  for  me." 

The  eldest  daughter  went  at  once  and  when  she 
reached  the  water's  edge,  old  Wetehinen  reached  up  and 
caught  her  about  the  waist  and  carried  her  down  to 
the  bottom  of  the  lake  where  he  lived  in  a  big  house. 

At  first  he  was  kind  to  her.  He  made  her  mistress 
of  the  house  and  gave  her  the  keys  to  all  the  rooms 
and  closets.  He  went  very  carefully  over  the  keys  and 
pointing  to  one  he  said: 

"That  key  you  must  never  use  for  it  opens  the  door 
to  a  room  which  I  forbid  you  to  enter." 

The  eldest  daughter  began  keeping  house  for  old 
Wetehinen  and  spent  her  time  cooking  and  cleaning 
and  spinning  much  as  she  used  to  at  home  with  her 


THE  THREE  CHESTS  51 

father.  The  days  went  by  and  she  grew  famiKar  with 
the  house  and  began  to  know  what  was  in  every  room 
and  every  closet. 

At  first  she  felt  no  temptation  to  open  the  forbidden 
door.  If  old  Wetehinen  wanted  to  have  a  secret  room, 
well  and  good.  But  why  in  the  world  had  he  given  her 
the  key  if  he  really  didn't  want  her  to  open  the  door? 
The  more  she  thought  about  it  the  more  she  wondered. 
Every  time  she  passed  the  room  she  stopped  a  moment 
and  stared  at  the  door.  It  looked  just  exactly  like  the 
doors  that  led  into  all  the  other  rooms. 

"I  wonder  why  he  doesn't  want  me  to  open  just  that 
door?"  she  kept  asking  herself. 

Finally  one  day  when  old  Wetehinen  was  away  she 
thought : 

"I  don't  believe  it  would  matter  if  I  opened  that 
door  just  a  little  crack  and  peeped  in  once!  'No  one 
would  know  the  difference!" 

For  a  few  moments  she  hesitated,  then  mustered  up 
courage  enough  to  turn  the  key  in  the  forbidden  lock 
and  throw  open  the  door. 

The  room  was  a  storeroom  with  boxes  and  chests  and 
old  jars  piled  up  around  the  wall.  That  was  unexcit- 
ing enough,  but  in  the  middle  of  the  floor  was  some- 
thing that  made  her  start  when  she  saw  what  it  was. 


62  '      MIGHTY  MIKKO 

It  was  blood — that's  what  it  was,  a  pool  of  dark  red 
blood!  She  was  about  to  slam  the  door  shut  when  she 
saw  something  else  that  made  her  pause.  This  was  a 
lovely  shining  ring  that  lay  in  the  midst  of  the  pool. 

"Oh!"  she  thought  to  herself,  "what  a  beautiful  ring! 
If  I  had  it  I'd  wear  it  on  my  finger!" 

The  longer  she  looked  at  it,  the  more  she  wanted  it. 

"If  I'm  very  careful,"  she  said,  "I  know  I  could 
reach  over  and  pick  it  up  without  touching  the  blood." 

She  tiptoed  cautiously  into  the  room,  wrapped  her 
skirts  tightly  about  her  legs,  knelt  down  on  the  floor, 
and  stretched  her  arm  over  the  pool.  She  picked  up 
the  ring  very  carefully  but  even  so  she  got  a  few  drops 
of  blood  on  her  fingers. 

"No  matter!"  she  thought,  "I  can  wash  that  offl 
And  see  the  lovely  ring!" 

But  later,  after  she  had  the  door  again  locked,  when 
she  tried  to  wash  the  blood  off,  she  found  she  couldn't. 
She  tried  soap,  she  tried  sand,  she  tried  everything  she 
could  think  of,  but  without  success. 

"I  don't  care!"  she  thought  to  herself.  "If  Wete- 
hinen  sees  the  blood,  I'll  just  tell  him  I  cut  my  finger 
by  accident." 

So  when  Wetehinen  came  home,  she  hid  the  ring  and 
pretended  nothing  was  the  matter. 


THE  THREE  CHESTS  53 

After  supper  Wetehinen  put  his  head  in  her  lap 
and  said: 

"Now,  my  dear,  scratch  my  head  and  make  me 
drowsy  for  bed." 

She  began  scratching'his  head  as  she  had  many  nights 
before  but,  at  the  first  touch  of  her  fingers,  he  cried 
out: 

"Stop!  You're  burning  my  ear!  There  must  be 
some  blood  on  your  fingers!    Let  me  see!" 

He  reached  up  and  caught  her  hand  and,  when  he 
saw  the  blood  stains,  he  flew  into  a  towering  rage. 

"I  thought  so!  You've  been  in  the  forbidden 
room!" 

He  jumped  up  and  without  allowing  her  time  to  say 
a  word  he  just  cut  off  her  head  then  and  there  with 
no  more  concern  than  if  she  had  been  a  mosquito! 
After  that  he  took  the  body  and  the  severed  head  and 
threw  them  into  the  forbidden  room  and  locked  the 
door. 

"Now  then,"  he  growled,  ''she  won't  disobey  me 
again !" 

This  was  all  very  well  but  now  he  had  no  one  to 
keep  house  for  him  and  cook  and  scratch  his  head  in 
the  evening  and  soon  he  decided  he'd  have  to  get  an- 
other wife.     He  remembered  that  the  farmer  had  two 


54  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

more  daughters,  so  he  thought  to  himself  that  now 
he'd  marry  the  second  sister. 

He  waited  his  chance  and  one  day  when  the  farmer 
was  out  in  his  boat  fishing,  old  Wetehinen  came  up 
from  the  bottom  of  the  lake  and  clutched  the  boat. 
When  the  poor  old  farmer  tried  to  row  back  to  shore 
he  couldn't  make  the  boat  move  an  inch.  He  worked 
and  worked  at  the  oars  and  wicked  old  Wetehinen  let 
him  struggle  until  he  was  exhausted.  Then  he  put  his 
head  up  out  of  the  water  and  over  the  side  of  the  boat 
and  as  though  nothing  were  the  matter  he  said: 

"Hullo!" 

"Oh!"  the  farmer  cried,  wishing  he  were  safe  on 
shore,  "it's  you,  is  it?  I  wondered  what  was  holding 
my  boat." 

"Yes,"  wicked  old  Wetehinen  said,  "it's  me  and  I'm 
going  to  hold  your  boat  right  here  on  this  spot  until 
you  promise  to  give  me  another  of  your  daughters." 

What  could  the  farmer  do?  He  pleaded  with  Wete- 
hinen but  Wetehinen  was  firm  and  the  upshot  was  that 
before  the  farmer  again  walked  dry  land  he  had  prom- 
ised Wetehinen  his  second  daughter. 

Well,  when  he  got  home,  he  pretended  he  had  for- 
gotten his  ax  in  the  boat  and  sent  his  second  daughter 


THE  THREE  CHESTS  55 

down  to  the  lake  to  get  it.  Wicked  old  Wetehinen 
caught  her  as  he  had  caught  her  sister  and  carried  her 
home  with  him  to  his  house  at  the  bottom  of  the  lake. 

Wetehinen  treated  the  second  sister  just  exactly  as 
he  had  the  first,  making  her  mistress  of  the  house  and 
telling  her  she  might  use  every  key  but  one.  Like  her 
sister  she,  too,  after  a  time  gave  way  to  the  temptation 
of  looking  into  the  forbidden  room  and  when  she  saw 
the  shining  ring  lying  in  the  pool  of  blood  of  course  she 
wanted  it  and  of  course  when  she  reached  to  get  it  she 
dabbled  her  fingers  in  the  blood.  So  that  was  the  end 
of  her,  too,  for  wicked  old  Wetehinen  when  he  saw  the 
blood  stains  just  cut  her  head  right  off  and  threw  her 
body  and  the  severed  head  into  the  forbidden  room  be- 
side the  body  and  head  of  her  sister  and  locked  the  door. 

Time  went  by  and  the  farmer  was  living  happily 
with  his  youngest  daughter  when  one  day  while  he  was 
out  chopping  wood  he  found  a  pair  of  fine  birch  bark 
brogues.  He  put  them  on  and  instantly  found  himself, 
walking  away  from  the  woods  and  down  to  the  lake. 
He  tried  to  stop  but  he  couldn't.  He  tried  to  walk  in 
another  direction  but  the  brogues  carried  him  straight 
down  to  the  water's  edge  and  out  into  the  lake  until 
he  was  in  waist  deep. 


56  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

Then  he  heard  a  gruff  voice  saying: 

"Hullo,  there!  What  are  you  doing  with  my 
brogues?" 

Of  course  it  was  wicked  old  Wetehinen  who  had 
played  that  trick  to  get  the  farmer  into  his  power  again. 

"What  do  you  want  this  time?"  the  poor  farmer  cried. 

"I  want  your  youngest  daughter,"  Wetehinen  said. 

"What!    My  youngest  daughter!" 

"Yes." 

"I  won't  give  her  up!"  the  farmer  declared.  "I 
don't  care  what  you  do  to  me.     I  won't  give  her  up!" 

"Oh,  very  well!"  Wetehinen  said,  and  immediately 
the  brogues  which  had  been  standing  still  while  they 
talked  started  walking  again.  They  carried  the 
farmer  out  into  the  lake  farther  and  farther  until  the 
water  was  up  to  his  chin. 

"Wait — wait  a  minute!"  he  cried. 

The  brogues  stopped  walking  and  Wetehinen  said: 

"Well,  do  you  promise  to  give  her  to  me?" 

"No!"  the  farmer  began.  "She's  my  last  daughter 
and—" 

Before  he  could  say  more,  the  brogues  walked  on 
and  the  water  rose  to  his  nose.  In  desperation  he  threw 
up  his  hands  and  shouted: 

"I  promise!     I  promise!" 


She  fitted  the  key  in  the  lock 


THE  THREE  CHESTS  59 

So  when  he  got  home  that  day  he  said  to  his  young- 
est daughter  whose  name  was  Lisa: 

"Lisa,  my  dear,  I  forgot  my  brogues  at  the  lake. 
Like  a  good  girl  won't  you  run  and  get  them  for 
me?" 

So  Lisa  went  to  the  lake  and  Wetehinen  of  course 
caught  her  and  carried  her  down  to  his  house  as  he 
had  her  two  sisters. 

Then  the  same  old  story  was  repeated.  Wetehinen 
made  Lisa  mistress  of  the  house  and  gave  her  keys  to 
all  the  doors  and  closets  with  the  same  prohibition 
against  opening  the  door  of  the  forbidden  room. 

"If  I  am  mistress  of  the  house,"  Lisa  said  to  herself, 
"why  should  I  not  unlock  every  door?" 

She  waited  until  one  day  when  Wetehinen  was  away 
from  home,  then  went  boldly  to  the  forbidden  room, 
fitted  the  key  in  the  lock,  and  flung  open  the  door. 

There  lay  her  two  poor  sisters  with  their  heads  cut 
off.  There  in  the  pool  of  blood  sparkled  the  lovely 
ring,  but  Lisa  paid  no  heed  to  it. 

"Wicked  old  Wetehinen!"  Lisa  cried.  "I  suppose  he 
thinks  that  ring  will  tempt  me  but  nothing  will  tempt 
me  to  touch  that  awful  blood!" 

Then  she  rummaged  about,  opening  boxes  and  chests, 
and  turning  things  over.     In  a  dark  corner  she  found 


60  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

two  pitchers,  one  marked  Water  of  Life,,  the  other 
Water  of  Death. 

"Ha!  This  is  what  I  want!"  she  cried,  taking  the 
pitcher  of  the  Water  of  Life. 

She  set  the  severed  heads  of  her  sisters  in  place  and 
then  with  the  magic  water  brought  them  back  to  life. 
She  used  up  all  the  Water  of  Life,  so  she  filled  the 
pitcher  marked  Water  of  Life  with  the  water  from  the 
other  pitcher,  the  Water  of  Death.  She  hid  her  sisters 
each  in  a  big  wooden  chest,  she  shut  and  locked  the 
door  of  the  forbidden  room,  and  Wetehinen  when  he 
came  home  found  her  working  at  her  spinning  wheel 
as  though  nothing  unusual  had  happened. 

After  supper  Wetehinen  said: 

"Now  scratch  my  head  and  make  me  drowsy  for 
bed." 

So  Lisa  scratched  his  wicked  old  head  and  she  did 
it  so  well  that  he  grunted  with  satisfaction. 

"Uh!  Uh!"  he  said.  "That's  good!  Now  just  be- 
hind my  right  ear!  That's  it!  That's  it!  You're  a 
good  girl,  you  are!  You're  not  like  some  of  them  who 
do  what  they're  told  not  to  do!  Now  behind  the  other 
ear!  Oli,  that's  fine!  Yes,  you're  a  good  girl  and 
if  there's  anything  you  want  me  to  do  just  tell  me  what 
it  is." 


THE  THREE  CHESTS  61 

"I  want  to  send  a  chest  of  things  to  my  poor  old 
father,"  Lisa  said.  "Just  a  lot  of  little  nothings — odds 
and  ends  that  I've  picked  up  about  the  house.  I'd  be 
ashamed  to  have  you  open  the  chest  and  see  them.  I  do 
wish  you'd  carry  the  chest  ashore  to-morrow  and  leave 
it  where  my  father  will  find  it." 

"All  right,  I  will,"  Wetehinen  promised. 

He  was  true  to  his  word.  The  next  morning  he 
hoisted  one  of  the  chests  on  his  shoulder,  the  one  that 
had  in  it  the  eldest  sister,  he  trudged  off  with  it,  and 
tossed  it  up  on  shore  at  a  place  where  he  was  sure 
the  farmer  would  find  it. 

Lisa  then  wheedled  him  into  carrying  up  the  second 
chest  that  had  in  it  the  second  sister.  This  time  Wete- 
hinen wasn't  so  good-natured. 

"I  don't  know  what  she  can  always  be  sending  her 
father!"  he  grumbled.  "If  she  sends  another  chest  I'll 
have  to  look  inside  and  see." 

Now  Lisa,  when  the  second  sister  was  safely  deliv- 
ered, began  to  plan  her  own  escape.  She  pulled  out 
another  empty  chest  and  then  one  evening  after  she  had 
succeeded  in  making  old  Wetehinen  comfortable  and 
drowsy  she  begged  him  to  carry  this  also  to  her 
father.  He  grumbled  and  protested  but  finally  prom- 
ised. 


62  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

"And  you  won't  look  inside,  will  you?  Promise  me 
you  won't!"  Lisa  begged. 

Wetehinen  said  he  wouldn't,  but  he  intended  to  just 
the  same. 

Well,  the  next  morning  as  soon  as  Wetehinen  went 
out,  Lisa  took  the  churn  and  dressed  it  up  in  some  of 
her  own  clothes.  She  carried  it  to  the  top  of  the  house 
and  perched  it  on  the  ridge  of  the  roof  before  a  spin- 
ning wheel.  Then  she  herself  crept  inside  the  third 
chest  and  waited. 

When  Wetehinen  came  home  he  looked  up  and  saw 
what  he  thought  was  Lisa  spinning  on  the  roof. 

"Hullo!"  he  shouted.  "What  are  you  doing  up 
there?" 

Lisa,  in  the  chest,  answered  in  a  voice  that  sounded 
as  if  it  came  from  the  roof: 

"I'm  spinning.  And  you,  Wetehinen,  my  dear,  don't 
forget  the  chest  that  you  promised  to  carry  to  my  poor 
old  father.     It's  standing  in  the  kitchen." 

Wetehinen  grumbled  but  because  of  his  promise  he 
hoisted  the  chest  on  his  shoulder  and  started  off. 
When  he  had  gone  a  little  way  he  thought  to  put  it 
down  and  take  a  peep  inside.  Instantly  Lisa's  voice, 
sounding  as  if  it  came  from  the  roof,  cried  out: 

"No!    No!    You  promised  not  to  look  inside!" 


THE  THREE  CHESTS  63 

*'I'm  not  looking  inside!"  Wetehinen  called  back. 
*'I'm  only  resting  a  minute!" 

Then  he  thought  to  himself: 

"I  suppose  she's  sitting  up  there  so  she  can  watch 
me!" 

When  he  had  gone  some  distance  farther,  he  thought 
again  to  set  down  the  chest  and  open  the  lid  but  in- 
stantly Lisa's  voice,  as  from  a  long  way  off,  called  out : 

"No!    No!    You  promised  not  to  look  inside!" 

"Who's  looking  inside?"  he  called  back,  pretending 
again  he  was  only  resting. 

Every  time  he  thought  it  would  be  safe  to  put  down 
the  chest  and  open  the  lid,  Lisa's  voice  cried  out: 

"No!    No!    You  promised  not  to!" 

"Mercy  on  us!"  old  Wetehinen  fumed  to  himself, 
"who  would  have  thought  she  could  see  so  far!" 

On  the  shore  of  the  lake  when  he  threw  down  the 
chest  in  disgust  he  tried  one  last  time  to  raise  the  Hd. 
Instantly  Lisa's  voice  cried  out : 

"No!    No!    You  promised  not  to!" 

"I'm  not  looking  inside!"  Wetehinen  roared,  and  in 
a  fury  he  left  the  chest  and  started  back  into  the 
water. 

All  the  way  home  he  grimibled  and  growled: 

"A  nice  way  to  treat  a  man,  always  making  him 


64  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

carry  chests !  I  won't  carry  another  one  no  matter  how 
much  she  begs  me!" 

When  he  came  near  home  he  saw  the  spinning  wheel 
still  on  the  roof  and  the  figure  still  seated  before  it. 

"Why  haven't  you  got  my  dinner  ready?"  he  called 
out  angrily. 

The  figure  at  the  spinning  wheel  made  no  answer. 

"What's  the  matter  with  you?"  Wetehinen  cried. 
"Why  are  you  sitting  there  like  a  wooden  image  in- 
stead of  cooking  my  dinner?" 

Still  the  figure  made  no  answer  and  in  a  rage  Wete- 
hinen began  climbing  up  the  roof.  He  reached  out 
blindly  and  clutched  at  Lisa's  skirt  and  jerked  it  so 
hard  that  the  churn  came  clattering  down  on  his  head. 
It  knocked  him  off  the  roof  and  he  fell  all  the  way 
to  the  ground  and  cracked  his  wicked  old  head  wide 
open. 

"Ouch!  Ouch!"  he  roared  in  pain.  "Just  wait  till 
I  get  hold  of  that  Lisa!" 

He  crawled  to  the  forbidden  room  and  poured  over 
himself  the  water  that  was  in  the  pitcher  marked  Water 
of  Life.  But  it  wasn't  the  Water  of  Life  at  all,  it  was 
the  Water  of  Death,  and  so  it  didn't  help  his  wicked 
old  cracked  head  at  all.  In  fact  it  just  made  it  worse 
and  worse  and  worse. 


THE  THREE  CHESTS  65 

Lisa  and  her  sisters  were  never  again  troubled  by 
him  nor  was  any  one  else  that  lived  on  the  shores  of 
that  lake. 

"Wonder  what's  become  of  wicked  old  Wetehinen?" 
people  began  saying. 

Lisa  thought  she  knew  but  she  didn't  tell. 


LOG 


The  Story  of  the  Hero  Who  Released  the  Sun 


LOG 


There  was  once  a  poor  couple  who 
had  no  children.  Their  neighbors 
all  had  boys  and  girls  in  plenty  but 
for  some  reason  God  didn't  send  them 
even  one. 

"If  I  can't  have  a  flesh  and  blood 
baby,'*  the  woman  said  one  day,  "I'm  going  to  have 
a  wooden  baby." 

She  went  to  the  woods  and  cut  a  log  of  alder  just 
the  size  of  a  nice  fat  baby.  She  dressed  the  log  in 
baby  clothes  and  put  it  in  a  cradle.  Then  for  three 
whole  years  she  and  her  husband  rocked  the  cradle 
and  sang  lullabies  to  the  log  baby. 

At  the  end  of  three  years  one  afternoon,  when  the 
man  was  out  chopping  wood  and  the  woman  was  driv- 
ing the  cows  home  from  pasture,  the  log  baby  turned 
into  a  real  baby!  It  was  so  strong  and  hearty  that 
by  the  time  its  parents  got  home  it  had  crawled  out  of 
the  cradle  and  was  sitting  on  the  floor  yelling  lustily 
for  food.    It  ate  and  ate  and  ate  and  the  more  it  ate 

69 


70  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

the  faster  it  grew.  It  wasn't  any  time  at  all  in  passing 
from  babyhood  to  childhood,  from  childhood  to  youth, 
and  from  youth  to  manhood.  From  its  beginnings  it 
was  known  in  the  village  as  Log  and  never  received 
any  other  name. 

Log's  parents  knew  from  the  first  that  Log  was 
destined  to  bie  a  great  hero.  That  was  why  he  was  so 
strong  and  so  good.  There  was  no  one  in  the  village 
as  strong  as  he  nor  any  one  as  kind  and  gentle. 

Now  just  at  this  time  a  great  calamity  overtook  the 
world.  The  Sun  and  the  Moon  and  the  Dawn  disap- 
peared from  the  sky  and  as  a  result  the  earth  was  left 
in  darkness. 

*'Who  have  taken  from  us  the  Sun  and  the  Moon 
and  the  Dawn?"  the  people  cried  in  terror. 

"Whoever  they  are,"  the  King  said,  "they  shall  have 
to  restore  them!  Where,  O  where  are  the  heroes  who 
will  undertake  to  find  the  Sun  and  the  JNIoon  and  the 
Dawn  and  return  them  to  their  places  in  the  sky?" 

There  were  many  men  willing  to  off^er  themselves 
for  the  great  adventure  but  the  King  realized  that 
something  more  was  needed  than  willingness. 

"It  is  only  heroes  of  exceptional  strength  and  endur- 
ance," he  said,  "who  should  risk  the  dangers  of  so  peril- 
ous an  undertaking." 


LOG  71 

So  he  called  together  all  the  valiant  youths  of  the 
kingdom  and  tested  them  one  by  one.  He  had  some 
waters  of  great  strength  and  it  was  his  hope  to  find 
three  heroes  the  first  of  whom  could  drink  three  bottles 
of  the  strong  waters,  the  second  six  bottles,  and  the 
third  nine  bottles. 

Hundreds  of  youths  presented  themselves  and  out  of 
them  all  the  King  found  at  last  two,  one  of  whom  was 
able  to  take  three  bottles  of  the  strong  waters,  the  other 
six  bottles. 

"But  we  need  three  heroes!"  the  King  cried.  *'Is 
there  no  one  in  all  this  kingdom  strong  enough  to  drink 
nine  bottles?" 

"Try  Log!"  some  one  shouted. 

All  the  youths  present  instantly  took  up  the  cry: 

"Log!    Log!    Send  for  Log!" 

So  the  King  sent  for  Log  and  sure  enough  when 
Log  came  he  was  able  to  drink  down  nine  bottles  of  the 
strong  waters  without  any  trouble  at  all. 

"Here  now,"  the  King  proclaimed,  "are  the  three 
heroes  who  are  to  release  the  Sun  and  the  Moon  and 
the  Dawn  from  whoever  are  holding  them  in  captivity 
and  restore  them  to  their  places  in  the  sky!" 

He  equipped  the  three  heroes  for  a  long  journey  fur- 
nishing them  money  and  food  and  drink  of  the  strong 


72  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

waters,  each  according  to  his  strength.  He  mounted 
them  each  on  a  mighty  horse  with  sword  and  arrow 
and  dog. 

So  the  three  heroes  rode  off  in  the  dark  and  the  women 
of  the  kingdom  wept  to  see  them  go  and  the  men  cheered 
and  wished  that  they,  too,  were  going. 

They  rode  on  and  on  for  many  days  that  seemed 
like  nights  until  they  had  crossed  the  confines  of  their 
own  country  and  entered  the  boundaries  of  an  unknown 
kingdom  beyond.  Here  the  darkness  was  less  dense. 
There  was  no  actual  daylight  but  a  faint  grayness  as 
of  approaching  dawn. 

They  rode  on  until  they  saw  looming  up  before  them 
the  towers  of  a  mighty  castle.  They  dismounted  near 
the  castle  at  the  door  of  a  little  hut  where  they  found 
an  old  woman. 

"Good  day  to  you,  granny!"  Log  called  out. 

"Good  day,  indeed!"  the  old  woman  said.  "It's 
little  enough  we  see  of  the  day  since  the  Evil  One  cursed 
the  Sun  and  handed  it  over  to  Suyettar's  wicked  off- 
spring, the  Nine-Headed  Serpent!" 

"The  Evil  One!"  Log  exclaimed.  "Tell  me,  granny, 
why  did  the  Evil  One  curse  the  Sun?" 

"Because  he's  evil,  my  son,  that's  why!  He  said  the 
Sun's  rays  blistered  him,  so  he  cursed  the  Sun  and  gave 


LOG  73 

him  over  to  the  Nine-Headed  Serpent.  And  he  cursed 
the  ISIoon,  too,  because  at  night  when  the  Moon  shone 
he  could  not  steal.  Yes,  my  son,  he  cursed  the  Moon 
and  handed  her  over  to  Suyettar's  second  offspring, 
the  Six-Headed  Serpent.  Then  he  cursed  the  Dawn 
because  he  said  he  couldn't  sleep  in  the  morning  because 
of  the  Dawn.  So  he  cursed  the  Dawn  and  gave  her 
over  to  Suyettar's  third  offspring,  the  Three-Headed 
Serpent." 

"Tell  me,  granny,"  Log  said,  "where  do  the  three 
Serpents  keep  prisoner  the  Sun  and  the  Moon  and  the 
Dawn?" 

"Listen,  my  son,  and  I  will  tell  you:  When  they  go 
far  out  in  the  Ocean  they  carry  with  them  the  Sun  and 
the  Moon  and  the  Dawn.  The  Three-Headed  Serpent 
stays  out  there  one  day  and  then  returns  at  night. 
The  Six-Headed  Serpent  stays  two  days  and  then 
returns,  and  the  mighty  Nine-Headed  Monster  does 
not  return  until  the  third  night.  As  each  returns  a 
faint  glow  spreads  over  the  land.  That  is  why  we  are 
not  in  utter  darkness." 

Log  thanked  the  old  woman  and  then  he  and  his 
companions  pushed  on  towards  the  castle.  As  they 
neared  it  they  saw  a  strange  sight  which  they  could  not 
understand.     One  half  of  the  great  castle  was  laughing 


74  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

and  rocking  as  if  in  merriment  and  the  other  half  was 
weeping  as  if  in  grief. 

"What  can  this  mean?"  Log  cried  out.  "We  had 
better  ask  the  old  woman  before  we  go  on." 

So  they  went  back  to  the  hut  and  the  old  woman  told 
them  all  she  knew. 

"It  is  on  account  of  the  dreadful  fate  that  is  hanging 
over  the  King's  three  daughters,"  she  said.  "Those 
three  evil  Monsters  are  demanding  them  one  by  one. 
To-night  when  the  Three-Headed  Serpent  comes  back 
from  the  Ocean  he  expects  to  devour  the  eldest.  If 
the  King  refuses  to  give  her  up,  then  Suyettar's  evil 
son  will  devour  half  the  kingdom,  half  of  the  castle 
itself,  and  half  the  shining  stones.  O  that  some  hero 
would  kill  the  monster  and  save  the  princess  and  at 
the  same  time  release  the  Dawn  that  it  might  again 
steal  over  the  world !" 

Log  and  his  fellows  conferred  together  and  the  one 
they  called  Three  Bottles,  because  his  strength  was 
equal  to  three  bottles  of  the  strong  waters,  declared 
that  it  was  his  task  to  fight  and  conquer  the  Three- 
Headed  Serpent. 

In  the  castle  meanwhile  preparations  for  the  sacrifice 
of  the  oldest  princess  were  going  forward.  As  the 
King  sewed  the  poor  girl  into  a  great  leather  sack,  his 


LOG  75 

tears  fell  so  fast  that  he  could  scarcely  see  what  he  was 
doing. 

"My  dear  child,"  he  said,  "it  should  comfort  you 
greatly  to  think  that  the  Monster  is  going  to  eat  you 
instead  of  half  the  kingdom!  Not  many  princesses 
are  considered  as  important  as  half  the  kingdom!" 

The  princess  knew  that  what  her  father  said  must  be 
true  and  she  did  her  best  to  look  cheerful  as  they  shpped 
the  sack  over  her  head.  Once  inside,  however,  she  al- 
lowed herself  to  cry  for  she  knew  that  no  one  could  see 
her. 

The  sack  with  the  princess  inside  was  carried  down 
to  the  beach  and  put  on  a  high  rock  near  the  place 
where  Suyettar*s  sons  were  wont  to  come  up  out  of  the 
water. 

"Don't  be  frightened,  my  daughter!"  the  King  called 
out  as  he  and  all  the  Court  started  back  to  the  castle. 
"You  won't  have  long  to  wait,  for  it  will  soon  be 
evening." 

Log  and  his  companions  watched  the  King's  party 
disappear  and  then  Three  Bottles  solemnly  drank  down 
the  three  bottles  of  strong  waters  with  which  his  own 
King  had  equipped  him.  As  he  was  ready  to  mount  his 
horse,  he  handed  Log  the  leash  to  which  his  dog  was 
attached. 


76  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

"If  I  need  help,"  he  said,  "I'll  throw  back  my  shoe 
and  do  you  then  release  my  dog." 

With  that  he  rode  boldly  down  to  the  beach,  dis- 
mounted, and  climbed  up  the  rock  where  the  un- 
fortunate princess  lay  in  a  sack.  With  one  slash  of 
the  sword  he  ripped  open  the  sack  and  dragged  the 
princess  out.  She  supposed  of  course  that  he  was  the 
Three-Headed  Serpent  and  at  first  was  so  frightened 
that  she  kept  her  eyes  tightly  shut  not  daring  to  look 
at  him.  She  expected  every  minute  to  have  him  take 
a  first  bite  and,  when  minutes  and  more  minutes  and 
more  minutes  still  went  by  and  he  didn't,  she  opened 
her  eyes  a  little  crack  to  see  what  was  the  matter. 

"Oh!"  the  princess  said. 

She  was  so  surprised  that  for  a  long  time  she  didn't 
dare  to  take  another  peep. 

"You  thought  I  was  the  Three-Headed  Serpent, 
didn't  you?"  a  pleasant  voice  asked.  "But  I'm  not. 
I'm    only    a    young    man    who    has    come    to    rescue 

you." 

The  princess  murmured,  "Oh!"  again,  but  this  time 
the  "Oh!"  expressed  happy  relief. 

"Yes,"  repeated  the  young  man,  "I  am  the  hero  who 
has  come  to  rescue  you.  My  comrades  call  me  Three 
Bottles  and  you,  too,  may  call  me  that.    And  while  we 


LOG  77 

are  waiting  for  the  Serpent  to  come  in  from  the  Ocean 
I  wish  you  would  scratch  my  head." 

The  princess  wasn't  in  the  least  surprised  at  this 
request.  Heroes  and  monsters  and  fathers  alike  seemed 
always  to  want  their  heads  scratched. 

So  Three  Bottles  stretched  himself  at  the  princess* 
feet  and  put  his  head  in  her  lap.  He  settled  himself 
comfortably  and  she  scratched  his  head  while  he  gazed 
out  over  the  dark  Ocean  waiting  for  the  Serpent  to 
appear. 

At  first  there  was  nothing  to  break  the  glassy  surface 
of  the  water.  They  waited  and  at  last  far  out  they  saw 
three  swirling  masses  rolling  landward. 

"Quick,  my  princess!"  Three  Bottles  cried.  "There 
comes  the  Monster  now !  Get  you  down  behind  the  rock 
and  hide  there  while  I  go  meet  the  creature  and  chop  off 
his  ugly  heads!" 

The  princess,  quivering  with  fright,  crouched  down 
behind  the  rock  and  Three  Bottles,  mounting  his  horse, 
rode  boldly  down  to  the  water's  edge  awaiting  the 
Serpent's  coming. 

It  came  nearer  and  nearer  in  long  easy  swirls,  slowly 
lifting  its  three  scaly  heads  one  after  another. 

As  it  approached  shore  it  sniffed  the  air  hungrily. 

"Fee,   fi,   fo,   fum!"  it  muttered  in  a  deep   voice, 


78  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

repeating  the  magic  rime  it  had  learned  from  its  evil 
mother,  Suyettar: 

"Fee,  fi,  fo,  fum! 
I  smell  a  Finn !      Yum !    Yum ! 
I'll  fall  upon  him  with  a  thud  ! 
I'll  pick  his  bones  and  drink  his  blood ! 
Fee,  fi,  f  o,  f  um ! 
Yum!    Yum!" 

"Stop  boasting,  son  of  Suyettar!"  Three  Bottles 
cried.  "You'll  have  time  enough  to  boast  after  you 
fight!'* 

"Fight?"  repeated  the  Serpent  as  if  in  surprise. 
"Shall  we  fight,  pretty  boy,  you  and  I?  Very  well! 
Blow  then  with  your  sweet  breath,  blow  out  a  long  level 
platform  of  red  copper  whereon  we  can  meet  and  try 
our  strength  each  with  the  other!'* 

"Nay,"  answered  Three  Bottles.  "Do  you  blow  with 
your  evil  breath  and  instead  of  red  copper  we  shall  have 
a  platform  of  black  iron." 

So  the  Serpent  blew  and  on  the  iron  platform  that 
came  of  his  breath  Three  Bottles  met  him  in  combat. 
Back  and  forth  they  raged,  Three  Bottles  striking  right 
and  left  with  his  mighty  sword,  the  Serpent  hitting  at 
Three  Bottles  with  all  his  scaly  heads  and  belching  forth 


LOG  79 

fire  and  smoke  from  all  his  mouths.  Three  Bottles 
whacked  off  one  scaly  head  and  at  last  a  second  one,  but 
he  was  unable  to  touch  the  third. 

"I  shall  have  to  have  help,"  he  acknowledged  to  him- 
self finally,  and  reaching  down  he  took  one  of  his  shoes 
and  threw  it  over  his  shoulder  back  to  his  comrades  who 
were  awaiting  the  outcome  of  the  struggle.  Instantly 
they  loosed  the  dog  which  bounded  forward  to  its 
master's  assistance  and  soon  with  the  dog's  help  Three 
Bottles  was  able  to  dispatch  the  last  head. 

He  was  faint  now  with  weariness  and  his  comrades 
had  to  help  him  back  to  the  old  woman's  hut  where  he 
soon  fell  asleep. 

Night  passed  and  Dawn  appeared.  A  great  cry  of 
relief  and  thanksgiving  went  up  from  all  the  earth. 

*'The  Dawn!  The  Dawn!"  people  cried.  "God 
bless  the  man  who  has  released  the  Dawn!" 

Only  at  the  castle  was  there  sorrow  still. 

"My  poor  oldest  daughter!"  the  King  cried  with  tears 
in  his  eyes.  "It  was  my  sacrifice  of  her  that  has  released 
the  Dawn!" 

Then  he  called  his  slaves  and  gave  them  orders  to 
gather  up  his  daughter's  bones  and  to  bring  back  the 
leather  sack. 

"We  shall  need  it  again  to-night,"  he  said.     He  wiped 


80  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

his  eyes  and  for  a  moment  could  say  no  more.  "Yes, 
to-night  we  shall  have  to  sew  up  my  second  daughter 
and  offer  her  to  the  Six-Headed  Serpent,  him  that  holds 
captive  the  Moon.  Otherwise  the  monster  will  devour 
half  my  kingdom,  half  the  castle,  and  half  the  shining 
stones.    Ai!    Ai!    Ai!" 

But  the  slaves  when  they  went  to  the  high  rock  on  the 
seashore  found,  not  the  princess'  bones,  but  the  princess 
herself,  sitting  there  with  her  chin  in  her  hand,  gazing 
down  on  the  beach  which  was  strewn  with  the  frag- 
ments of  the  Three-Headed  Serpent. 

They  led  her  back  to  her  father  and  reported  the 
marvel  they  had  seen. 

"There,  O  King,  lies  the  monster  on  the  sand  with  all 
his  heads  severed  I  So  huge  are  the  heads  that  it  would 
need  three  men  with  derricks  to  move  one  of  them!" 

"Some  unknown  hero  has  rescued  my  oldest  daugh- 
ter!" the  King  cried.  "Would  that  another  might  come 
to-night  to  rescue  my  second  child  likewise!  But,  alas! 
what  hero  is  strong  enough  to  destroy  the  Six-Headed 
Monster!" 

So  when  evening  came  they  sewed  the  second  princess 
in  the  sack  and  carried  her  out  to  the  rock. 

Log  and  his  companions  saw  the  procession  move 
down  from  the  castle  and  they  saw  that  the  castle  was 


LOG  81 

again  disturbed,  one  half  of  it  laughing  and  one  half 
weeping. 

"It's  the  second  princess  to-night,"  the  old  woman 
told  them.  "Unless  her.  father,  the  King,  gives  her  to 
the  Six-Headed  Serpent,  the  Monster  will  come  and 
devour  half  the  kingdom,  half  the  castle,  and  half  the 
shining  stones.  He  it  is  that  holds  the  Moon  captive 
and  the  hero  that  slays  him  will  release  the  Moon." 

Then  he  whom  his  comrades  called  Six  Bottles  cried 
out: 

"Here  is  work  for  me !" 

He  drank  bottle  after  bottle  of  the  strong  waters 
until  he  had  emptied  six. 

"Now  I  am  ready!"  he  shouted. 

He  mounted  his  mighty  horse  and  as  he  rode  off  he 
called  to  his  comrades : 

"If  I  need  help  I'll  throw  back  a  shoe  and  do  you 
then  unleash  my  dog  I" 

He  rode  to  the  rock  on  the  shore  and  dismounted. 
Then  he  climbed  the  rock  and  released  the  second 
princess.  He  told  her  who  he  was  and  as  they  awaited 
the  arrival  of  the  Six-Headed  Serpent  he  lay  at  the 
princess'  feet  and  she  scratched  his  head. 

This  time  the  Serpent  came  in  six  mighty  swirls 
with  six  awful  heads  that  reared  up  one  after  another. 


82  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

In  terror  the  second  princess  hid  behind  the  rock  while 
Six  Bottles,  mounting  his  horse,  rode  boldly  down  to 
the  water's  edge. 

Like  his  brother  Serpent  this  one,  too,  came  sniffing 
the  air  hungrily,  muttering  the  magic  rime  he  had 
learned  from  his  mother,  wicked  Suyettar: 

"Fee,  fi,  f o,  fum ! 
I  smell  a  Finn !      Yum !    Yum ! 
I'll  fall  upon  him  with  a  thud  ! 
I'll  pick  his  bones  and  drink  his  blood ! 
Fee,  fi,  f o,  fum ! 
Yum!    Yum!" 

"Stop  boasting,  son  of  an  evil  mother!"  Six  Bottles 
cried.  "You  will  have  time  enough  to  boast  after  you 
fight!" 

"Fight?"  repeated  the  Serpent  scornfully.  "Shall 
we  fight,  little  one,  you  and  I  ?  Very  well !  Blow  then 
with  your  sweet  breath,  blow  out  a  long  level  platform 
of  white  silver  whereon  we  can  meet  and  try  our 
strength  one  with  the  other." 

"Nay!"  answered  Six  Bottles.  "Do  you  blow,  blow 
with  your  evil  breath,  and  instead  of  white  silver  we 
shall  have  a  platform  of  red  copper." 

So  the  Serpent  blew  and  on  the  copper  platform  that 


LOG  83 

came  of  his  breath  Six  Bottles  met  him  in  combat.  Back 
and  forth  they  raged.  Six  Bottles  striking  left  and  right 
with  his  mighty  sword,  the  Serpent  hitting  at  Six 
Bottles  with  every  one  of  his  six  scaly  heads  and  belching 
forth  fire  and  smoke  from  all  his  mouths.  Six  Bottles 
whacked  off  one  head,  then  another,  then  another.  At 
last  he  had  disposed  of  five  heads.  He  tried  hard  to 
strike  the  last,  but  by  this  time  the  Serpent  had  grown 
wary  and  Six  Bottles'  own  strength  was  waning.  So 
he  reached  down  and  took  one  of  his  shoes  and  threw  it 
over  his  shoulder  back  to  his  comrades  who  were  await- 
ing the  outcome  of  the  struggle.  Instantly  they  loosed 
the  dog  which  bounded  forward  to  its  master's  assistance 
and  soon  with  the  dog's  help  Six  Bottles  was  able  to 
dispatch  the  last  head. 

Then  his  comrades  led  him,  weary  from  the  fight,  to 
the  old  woman's  hut  and  soon  he  fell  asleep. 

While  he  slept  the  Moon  appeared  in  the  sky  and  a 
great  cry  of  relief  and  thanksgiving  went  up  from  all 
the  world : 

"The  Moon!  The  Moon!  God  bless  the  man  who 
has  released  the  Moon!" 

The  King  who  was  awakened  by  the  sound  looked  out 
the  castle  window  and  when  he  saw  the  Moon,  returned 
to  its  place  in  the  sky,  his  eyes  overflowed  with  grief. 


84  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

"My  poor  second  daughter!"  he  cried.  "It  was  my 
sacrifice  of  her  that  has  released  the  Moon !  To-morrow 
morning  I  will  send  the  slaves  to  gather  up  her  bones 
and  to  bring  back  the  leather  sack  into  which,  alas!  I 
must  then  sew  my  youngest  daughter  for  evil  Suyettar's 
third  son,  the  Nine-Headed  Serpent.  Ai!  Ail  Ai! 
How  sad  it  is  to  be  a  father !" 

But  on  the  morrow  when  the  slaves  went  to  the 
rock  they  found  the  second  princess  sitting  there  alone 
gazing  down  upon  the  scattered  fragments  of  the  Six- 
Headed  Serpent. 

"Here  she  is,  safe  and  sound!"  they  reported  to  the 
King  as  they  led  the  second  princess  into  his  presence, 
"and,  marvel  of  marvels!  on  the  beach  below  the  rock 
lies  the  body  of  the  Six-Headed  Serpent  torn  to  pieces! 
Its  heads,  O  King,  are  so  monstrous  that  six  men  with 
derricks  could  scarcely  move  one  of  them!" 

"God  be  praised!"  the  King  cried.  "Another  un- 
known hero  has  come  and  saved  the  life  of  my  second 
child!  Would  that  a  third  might  come  to-night  and 
rescue  the  life  of  my  youngest  child !  Alas,  she  is  dearer 
to  me  than  both  the  others,  but  I  fear  me  that  even  if 
there  be  heroes  who  could  dispatch  the  first  two  Ser- 
pents, there  is  never  one  who  can  touch  him  of  the  Nine 
Heads  that  holds  the  mighty  Sun  a  captive!" 


'This  last  and  mightiest  battle  is  for  me!' 


LOG  87 

And  the  poor  King  wept,  so  sure  was  he  that  nothing 
could  save  the  life  of  his  youngest  child. 

When  Log  and  his  companions  heard  of  the  King's 
grief,  Log  at  once  stood  forth  and  said: 

"This  last  and  mightiest  battle  is  for  me!" 

He  opened  the  strong  waters  and  drank  bottle  after 
bottle  until  he  had  emptied  nine. 

"Now  let  night  come  as  soon  as  it  will!"  he  cried.  "I 
am  ready  for  the  Monster !" 

He  started  forth  telling  his  comrades  he  would  throw 
back  a  shoe  if  he  needed  help  from  his  dog. 

So  it  was  Log  himself  who  slashed  open  the  sack  for 
the  third  time  and  released  the  Youngest  Princess  who 
was  much  more  beautiful  than  her  sisters.  She  fell  in 
love  with  the  mighty  hero  on  sight  and  was  so  thrilled 
with  his  godlike  beauty  that  when  he  put  his  head  in 
her  lap  she  hardly  knew  what  to  do  although  her  father 
always  declared  that  she  scratched  his  head  much  better 
than  either  of  her  sisters. 

They  had  not  long  to  wait  for  soon  all  the  Ocean  was 
a  glitter  with  the  swirls  of  the  ninefold  Monster  who  was 
coming  to  shore  with  the  captive  Sun  in  his  keeping. 

"Await  me  behind  the  rock!"  Log  cried  to  the 
Princess  as  he  leapt  upon  his  horse  and  started  for- 
ward. 


88  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

"Oh,  Log,  my  hero,  be  careful!"  the  Princess  cried 
after  him. 

Nearer  and  nearer  came  the  swirls  of  the  nine-coiled 
Monster.  One  after  another  of  his  nine  heads  rose  and 
fell  as  he  approached,  and  every  head  sniffed  more 
hungrily  as  it  came  nearer,  and  each  head  rumbled  as 
it  sniffed : 

"Fee,  fi,  fo,  fum! 
I  smell  a  Finn !       Yum !    Yum ! 
I'll  fall  upon  him  with  a  thud  ! 
I'll  pick  his  bones  and  drink  his  blood ! 
Fee,  fi,  f o,  fum ! 
Yum!    Yum!" 

"Stop  boasting,  evil  son  of  an  evil  mother!"  Log 
cried.  "You  will  have  time  enough  to  boast  after  you 
fight!" 

"Fight?"  roared  the  awful  Monster.  "Shall  we  fight, 
poor  infant,  you  and  I?  Very  well!  Blow  then  with 
your  sweet  breath,  blow  out  a  long  level  platform  of 
shining  gold  whereon  we  can  meet  and  try  our  strength 
each  with  the  other!" 

"Nay!"  Log  answered  boldly.  "Do  you  blow,  blow 
with  your  evil  breath  and  instead  of  shining  gold  we 
shall  have  a  platform  of  white  silver." 


LOG  89 

So  the  Monster  blew  and  on  the  silver  platform  that 
came  of  his  breath  Log  met  him  in  combat.  Back  and 
forth  they  raged,  Log  striking  right  and  left  with  his 
mighty  sword,  the  Serpent  hitting  at  Log  with  all  his 
nine  scaly  heads  and  belching  forth  fire  and  smoke  from 
all  his  nine  mouths.  Log  whacked  off  head  after 
head  until  six  lay  gaping  on  the  sand.  But  the  last 
three  he  could  not  get. 

Suddenly  he  pointed  behind  the  Serpent  and  cried: 

"Quick!     Quick!     The  Sun!     It  is  escaping!" 

The  Serpent  looked  around  and  Log  whacked  off  a 
head.  Now  only  two  remained,  but  try  as  he  would 
Log  could  get  neither  of  them. 

Again  he  tried  a  subterfuge. 

"Your  wife,  O  Son  of  Suyettar !  See,  yonder,  they're 
abusing  her !" 

The  Monster  looked  and  Log  whacked  off  another 
head.  But  one  now  remained  and  as  usual  it  was  the 
hardest  of  them  all  to  get.  Log  felt  his  strength  wan- 
ing while  the  Monster  seemed  more  nimble  than  ever. 

"I  shall  have  to  have  help,"  Log  thought. 

He  threw  back  his  shoe  to  his  comrades  and  they  at 
once  loosed  his  dog.  With  the  dog's  help  Log  was 
soon  able  to  dispatch  the  last  head.  Then  Three  Bottles 
and  Six  Bottles  helped  him  off  his  horse  and  supported 


90  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

him  to  the  old  woman's  hut  where  he  soon  fell  into  a 
deep  sleep. 

The  next  morning  the  blessed  Sun  rose  at  his  proper 
time  and  people  all  over  the  world,  falling  oh  their  knees 
with  thanksgiving  and  weeping  with  joy,  cried  out: 

"The  Sun!  The  Sun!  God  bless  the  man  who  has 
released  the  Sun!" 

At  the  castle  they  waked  the  King  with  the  good  news 
but  the  King  only  shook  his  head  and  murmured  in 
grief : 

"Yes,  the  Sun  is  released  but  what  care  I  since  my 
favorite  child,  my  youngest  daughter,  has  been  sacri- 
ficed!" 

He  dispatched  the  slaves  to  gather  up  her  bones  and 
presently  these  returned  bringing  the  Princess  herself 
and  telling  a  marvelous  tale  of  the  beach  littered  with 
nine  severed  heads  so  huge  that  it  would  need  nine  men 
with  derricks  to  move  one  of  them. 

"What  manner  of  heroes  are  these  who  have  rescued 
my  daughters!"  cried  the  King.  "Let  them  come  forth 
and  I  will  give  them  my  daughters  for  wives  and  half 
my  riches  for  dowry !  But  they  will  have  to  prove  them- 
selves the  actual  heroes  by  bringing  to  the  castle  the 
heavy  heads  of  the  Monsters  they  have  slain." 

When  Log  and  his  fellows  heard  this  they  laughed 


LOG  91 

with  happiness  and,  strengthening  themselves  with  deep 
draughts  of  the  strong  waters,  they  gathered  together 
the  many  heads  of  the  mighty  Serpents,  bore  them  to 
the  castle,  and  piled  them  up  at  the  King's  feet. 
Then  Log  stepped  forward  and  said: 
"Here  we  are,  O  King,  come  to  claim  our  reward!" 
The  King,  true  to  his  promise,  gave  them  his  daugh- 
ters in  marriage,  the  oldest  to  Three  Bottles,  the  second 
to  Six  Bottles,  and  the  lovely  Youngest  to  Log.    Then 
he  apportioned  them  the  half  of  his  riches  and,  after 
much  feasting  and  merrymaking,  the  heroes  took  their 
brides  and  their  riches  and  bidding  the  King  farewell 
started  homewards. 

As  they  rode  through  a  great  forest  they  sighted  a 
tiny  hut  and  Log,  motioning  his  comrades  to  wait  for 
him  quietly,  crept  forward  to  see  who  was  in  the  hut. 
It  was  well  he  was  cautious  for  inside  the  hut  was 
Suyettar  herself  talking  to  two  other  old  hags. 

*'Ay,"  she  was  saying,  "they  have  slain  my  three 
beautiful  sons,  my  mighty  offspring  that  held  captive 
the  Sun  and  the  Moon  and  the  Dawn!  But  I  tell  you, 
sisters,  they  will  pay  the  penalty.  .  .  ." 

To  hear  better  Log  changed  himself  into  a  piece  of 
firewood  and  slipping  inside  the  hut  hid  himself  in  the 
woodpile  near  the  stove. 


92  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

"Ay,  they  will  pay  the  penalty!"  Suyettar  repeated. 
*'I  shall  have  my  revenge  on  them!  A  fine  supper 
Suyettar  shall  soon  have,  yum,  yum! 

I'll  fall  upon  them  with  a  thud! 

I'll  pick  their  bones  and  drink  their  blood! 

Fools,  fools,  to  think  they  can  escape  Suyettar's  anger!'* 

"But  sister,  sister,"  the  two  old  hags  asked,  "how 
will  you  get  them?" 

Suyettar  looked  this  way  and  that  to  make  sure  that 
no  one  was  listening.     Then  she  whispered : 

"This  is  how  I  shall  get  them:  As  they  come  through 
this  forest,  the  three  men  with  their  brides,  I  shall  send 
upon  them  a  terrible  hunger.  Then  they  shall  come 
suddenly  upon  a  table  spread  with  tempting  food.  One 
bite  of  that  food  and  they  are  in  my  power,  he-he !  Ay, 
sisters,  to-night  Suyettar  will  have  a  fine  supper! 
Nothing  can  save  them  unless,  before  they  touch  the 
food,  some  one  make  the  sign  of  the  cross  three  times 
over  the  table.  Then  table  and  food  would  disappear 
and  also  the  ravening  hunger.  But  even  if  that  happens 
Suyettar  shall  still  get  them !" 

"How,  sister,  how?"  the  other  two  asked. 

"Presently  I  should  send  upon  them  consuming  thirst, 
and  then  put  in  their  pathway  a  spring  of  cold  sparkhng 


LOG  93 

water.  One  drop  of  that  water  and  they  are  in  my 
power,  he-he !  Nothing  can  save  them  from  me  unless, 
before  their  lips  touch  the  water,  some  one  make  the  sign 
of  the  cross  three  times  over  the  spring.  At  that  the 
spring  would  disappear  and  also  their  thirst.  But  even 
if  they  escape  the  spring,  I  shall  still  get  them.  I  shall 
send  great  heaviness  on  them  and  a  longing  for  sleep, 
then  let  them  come  upon  a  row  of  soft  inviting  feather 
beds.  If  they  cast  themselves  upon  the  beds,  they  are 
mine,  he-he  I  to  feast  upon  as  I  will!  Nothing  can  save 
but  that  some  one  make  the  sign  of  the  cross  three  times 
over  the  beds  before  they  touch  them.  Oh,  sisters,  I  shall 
get  them  one  way  or  another  for  there  is  no  one  to  warn 
them.  If  there  was  any  one  to  warn  them,  he  wouldn't 
dare  tell  them  what  he  knows  for  he  would  also  know 
that  if  he  told  them  he  would  himself  be  turned  into  a 
blue  cross  and  have  to  stand  forever  in  the  ceme- 
tery." 

As  Log  knew  now  all  the  dangers  that  threatened, 
he  slipped  away  from  the  woodpile  and,  when  he  was 
outside,  took  his  own  shape  and  hurried  back  to  his 
comrades. 

**Away!'*  he  cried.     "We  are  in  great  danger!" 
They  all  spurred  their  horses  and  rode  swiftly  on  until 
Three  Bottles  suddenly  cried : 


94  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

"Hold,  comrades,  hold!     I  am  faint  with  hunger!" 

"Me,  too!"  cried  Six  Bottles. 

At  that  instant  a  great  table,  laden  with  delicious 
food,  appeared  before  them. 

"Look!"  cried  the  one  of  them. 

"Food!"  cried  the  other. 

They  flung  themselves  from  their  horses  and  ran 
towards  the  table.  But  quick  as  they  were.  Log  was 
quicker.  He  reached  the  table  first  and,  raising  his 
hand,  made  the  sign  of  the  cross  three  times.  The  table 
disappeared  as  suddenly  as  it  had  come  and  with  it  the 
strange  hunger  that  had  but  now  consumed  them. 

"Strange!"  Three  Bottles  exclaimed.  "I  thought  I 
was  hungry,  but  I'm  not!" 

"I  thought  I  saw  food  just  now,"  Six  Bottles  said. 
"I  must  have  been  dreaming." 

So  they  mounted  again  and  pushed  on. 

"Danger  threatens  us,"  said  Log.  "We  must  hurry 
and  not  dismount  no  matter  what  the  temptation." 

They  agreed  but  presently  one  of  them  cried  out  and 
then  the  other : 

"Water!  Water!  We  shall  soon  perish  unless  we 
have  water!" 

Instantly  by  the  wayside  appeared  a  spring  of  cool 
sparkhng  water  and  it  was  all  Log  could  do  to  reach  it 


LOG  95 

before  his  fellows.  He  did  get  there  first  and  make  the 
sign  of  the  cross  three  times  whereat  the  spring  dis- 
appeared and  with  it  the  thirst  which  had  but  now 
consumed  them  all. 

"I  thought  I  was  thirsty,"  Three  Bottles  said,  "but 
I'm  not!" 

"Why  did  we  dismount?"  Six  Bottles  asked. 
"There's  no  water  here." 

So  again  they  mounted  and  went  forward  and  Log, 
warning  them  again  that  danger  threatened,  begged 
them  not  to  dismount  a  third  time  no  matter  what  the 
temptation. 

They  promised  they  would  not  but  presently,  com- 
plaining of  fatigue,  they  wanted  to.  Their  brides,  too, 
swayed  in  the  saddle,  overcome  with  weariness  and  sleep. 

"Dear  Log,"  they  said,  "let  us  rest  for  an  hour.  See, 
our  brides  are  drooping  with  fatigue  I  One  hour's  sleep 
and  we  shall  all  be  refreshed!" 

Instantly  beside  them  on  the  forest  floor  they  saw 
three  soft  white  feather  beds.  Log  leaped  to  the 
ground  but  before  he  was  able  to  make  the  sign  of  the 
cross  over  more  than  one  of  the  beds,  his  comrades  and 
their  brides  had  fallen  headlong  on  the  other  two. 

And  that  was  the  end  of  poor  Three  Bottles  and  Six 
Bottles  and  their  two  lovely  brides.     There  was  no  way 


96  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

now  of  saving  them  from  Suyettar.  She  had  them  in 
her  power  and  nothing  would  induce  her  to  give  them 
up. 

As  Log  and  his  bride  sadly  mounted  their  horse  and 
rode  on  they  heard  an  evil  voice  chanting  out  in  triumph : 

"I'll  fall  upon  them  with  a  thud,  he-he ! 
I'll  pick  their  bones  and  drink  their  blood,  he-he !" 

*'Poor  fellows!  Poor  fellows!"  Log  said,  and  the 
Princess  wept  to  think  of  the  awful  fate  that  had  over- 
taken her  two  sisters. 

Well,  Log  and  his  bride  reached  home  without  further 
adventure  and  were  received  by  the  King  with  great 
honors. 

"I  knew  my  heroes  were  succeeding,"  the  King  said, 
"when  first  the  Dawn  appeared  again,  and  then  the 
Moon,  and  last  the  mighty  Sun.  All  hail  to  you.  Log, 
and  to  your  two  comrades!  But,  by  the  way,  where 
are  Three  Bottles  and  Six  Bottles?" 

"Your  Majesty,"  Log  said,  "Three  Bottles  and  Six 
Bottles  were  brave  men  both.  By  their  prowess  they 
released  the  one  the  Dawn,  the  other  the  Moon.  Then 
in  an  evil  adventure  on  the  way  home  they  perished.  I 
can  tell  you  no  more." 

"You  can  tell  me  no  more?"  the  King  said.     "Why 


LOG  97 

can  you  tell  me  no  more?  What  was  the  evil  adventm'e 
in  which  they  perished?" 

"If  I  told  you,  O  King,  then  I,  too,  should  perish,  for 
I  should  be  turned  into  .a  blue  cross  and  stood  forever 
in  the  cemetery!" 

"What  nonsense !"  the  King  exclaimed.  "Who  would 
turn  you  into  a  blue  cross  and  stand  you  forever  in  the 
cemetery?" 

"That  is  what  I  cannot  tell  you,"  Log  said. 

The  King  laughed  and  pressed  Log  no  further,  but 
the  people  of  the  kingdom,  scenting  a  mystery,  insisted 
on  knowing  in  detail  what  had  happened  the  other  two 
heroes.  Presently  the  rumor  began  to  spread  that  Log 
himself  had  done  away  with  them  in  order  that  he  might 
gather  to  himself  all  the  glory  of  the  undertaking. 

The  King  was  forced  at  last  to  send  for  him  again 
and  to  demand  a  full  account  of  everything. 

Log  realized  that  his  end  was  near.  He  met  it 
bravely.  Commending  to  the  King's  protection  his 
lovely  bride,  the  Youngest  Princess,  Log  related  how 
the  three  mighty  Serpents  whom  they  had  killed  were 
sons  of  Suyettar,  and  how  in  revenge  Suyettar  had 
succeeded  in  destroying  Three  Bottles  and  Six  Bottles 
together  with  their  brides.  Then  he  told  the  fate  about 
to  overtake  himself. 


98  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

He  finished  speaking  and  as  the  King  and  the  Court 
looked  at  him,  to  their  amazement  he  disappeared. 

"To  the  cemetery!"  some  one  cried. 

They  all  went  to  the  cemetery  where  at  once  they 
found  a  fresh  blue  cross  that  had  come  there  nobody 
knew  how.  There  it  stands  to  this  day,  a  reminder  of 
the  life  and  deeds  of  the  mighty  hero,  Log. 

The  King  was  overcome  with  sorrow  at  losing  such 
a  hero.  He  took  Log's  bride  under  his  protection  and 
he  found  her  so  beautiful  and  so  gentle  that  soon  he 
fell  in  love  with  her  and  married  her. 


THE  LITTLE  SISTER 


The  Story  of  Suyettar  and  the  Nine  Brothers 


THE  LITTLE  SISTER 


There  was  once  a  woman  who  had 
nine  sons.  They  were  good  boys  and 
loved  her  dearly  but  there  was  one  thing 
about  which  they  were  always  complain- 
ing. 

"AVhy  haven't   we  a   little   sister?" 
they  kept  asking.     "Do  give  us  a  little  sister!" 

When  the  time  came  that  another  child  was  to  be 
born,  they  said  to  their  mother : 

"If  the  baby  is  a  boy  we  are  going  away  and  you 
will  never  see  us  again,  but  if  it  is  a  little  girl  then  we 
shall  stay  home  and  take  care  of  it." 

The  mother  agreed  that  if  the  child  were  a  girl  she 
would  have  her  husband  put  a  spindle  outside  on  the 
gatepost  and,  if  it  were  a  boy,  an  ax. 

"Just  wait,"  she  said,  "and  see  what  your  father  puts 
on  the  gatepost  and  then  you  will  know  whether  it  is 
another  brother  God  has  sent  you  or  a  little  sister." 

The  baby  turned  out  to  be  a  girl  and  the  mother  was 
overjoyed. 

101 


102  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

"HuD'y,  husband!"  she  cried,  "and  put  a  spindle  on 
the  gatepost  so  that  our  nine  sons  may  know  the  good 
news!" 

The  man  did  so  and  then  quickly  returned  to  the 
mother  and  baby.  The  moment  he  was  gone  Suyettar 
slipped  up  and  changed  the  tokens.  She  took  away 
the  spindle  and  put  in  its  place  an  ax.  Then  with  an 
evil  grin  she  hurried  off  mumbling  to  herself: 

"Now  we'll  see  what  we'll  see!" 

She  hoped  to  bring  trouble  and  grief  and  she  suc- 
ceeded. As  soon  as  the  nine  sons  saw  the  ax  on  the 
gatepost  they  thought  their  mother  had  given  birth  to 
another  son  and  at  once  they  left  home  vowing  never  to 
return. 

The  poor  mother  waited  for  them  and  waited. 

"What  is  keeping  my  sons?"  she  cried  at  last.  "Go 
out  to  the  gate,  husband,  and  see  if  they  are  coming." 

The  man  went  out  and  soon  returned  bringing  back 
word  that  some  one  had  changed  the  tokens. 

"The  spindle  that  I  put  on  the  gatepost  is  gone,"  he 
said,  "and  in  its  place  is  an  ax." 

"Alas!"  cried  the  poor  mother,  "some  evil  creature 
has  done  this  to  spite  us !  Oh,  if  we  could  only  get  word 
to  our  sons  of  the  little  sister  they  were  so  eager  to 
have!" 


THE  LITTLE  SISTER  103 

But  there  was  no  way  to  reach  them  for  no  one  knew 
the  way  they  had  gone. 

In  a  short  time  the  husband  died  and  the  poor  woman, 
abandoned  by  her  nine  sons,  had  only  her  little  daughter 
left.  She  named  the  child  Kerttu.  Kerttu  was  a  dear 
little  girl  and  her  face  was  as  beautiful  as  her  heart  was 
good.  Whenever  she  found  her  mother  weeping  alone 
she  tried  to  comfort  her  and,  as  she  grew  older,  she 
wanted  to  know  the  cause  of  her  mother's  grief.  At 
last  the  mother  told  her  about  her  nine  brothers  and  how 
they  had  gone  away  never  to  return  owing  to  the  trick 
of  some  evil  creature. 

"My  poor  mother!"  she  cried,  "how  sorry  I  am  that 
I  am  the  innocent  cause  of  your  loss!  Let  me  go  out 
into  the  world  and  find  my  brothers !  When  once  they 
hear  the  truth  they  will  gladly  come  home  to  you  to  care 
for  you  in  your  old  age !" 

At  first  the  mother  would  not  consent  to  this. 

"You  are  all  I  have,"  she  said,  "and  I  should  indeed 
be  miserable  and  lonely  if  anything  happened  you!" 

But  Kerttu  continued  to  weep  every  time  she  thought 
of  her  poor  brothers  driven  unnecessarily  from  home 
and  at  last  the  mother,  realizing  that  she  would  never- 
more be  happy  unless  she  were  allowed  to  go  in  search 
of  them,  gave  up  opposing  her. 


104j  mighty  MIKKO 

"Very  well,  my  daughter,  you  may  go  and  may  God 
go  with  you  and  bring  you  safely  back  to  me.  But 
before  you  go  I  must  prepare  you  a  bag  of  food  for 
the  journey  and  bake  you  a  magic  cake  that  will  show 
you  the  way." 

So  she  baked  a  batch  of  bread  and  at  the  same  time 
mixed  a  little  round  cake  with  Kerttu's  own  tears  and 
baked  it,  too.     Then  she  said: 

"Here  now,  my  child,  are  provisions  for  the  journey 
and  here  is  a  magic  cake  that  will  lead  you  to  your 
brothers.  All  you  have  to  do  is  throw  it  down  in  front 
of  you  and  say: 

*Roll,  roll,  my  Httle  cake ! 
Show  me  the  way  that  I  must  take 
To  find  at  last  the  brothers  nine 
Whose  own  true  mother  is  also  mine!' 

Then  the  little  cake  will  start  rolling  and  do  you  follow 
wherever  it  rolls.  But,  Kerttu,  my  child,  you  must  not 
start  out  alone.  You  must  have  some  friend  or  com- 
panion to  go  with  you." 

Now  it  happened  that  Kerttu  had  a  little  dog,  Musti, 
that  she  loved  dearly. 

"I'll  take  Musti  with  me!"  she  said,  "Musti  will 
protect  me !" 


THE  LITTLE  SISTER  105 

So  she  called  Musti  and  Musti  wagged  his  tail  and 
barked  with  joy  at  the  prospect  of  going  out  into  the 
world  with  his  mistress. 

Then  Kerttu  threw  down  the  magic  cake  in  front  of 
her  and  sang : 

"Roll,  roll,  my  little  cake ! 
Show  me  the  way  that  I  must  take 
To  find  at  last  the  brothers  nine 
Whose  own  true  mother  is  also  mine!" 

At  once  the  cake  rolled  off  like  a  little  wheel  and 
Kerttu  and  Musti  followed  it.  They  walked  until  they 
were  tired.  Then  Kerttu  picked  up  the  little  cake  and 
they  rested  by  the  wayside.  When  they  were  ready 
again  to  start  the  cake  a-rolling,  all  Kerttu  had  to  do 
was  throw  it  down  in  front  of  her  and  say  the  magic 
rime. 

Their  first  day  was  without  adventure.  "When  night 
came  they  ate  their  supper  and  went  to  sleep  in  a  field 
under  a  tree. 

The  second  day  they  overtook  an  ugly  old  woman 
whom  Kerttu  disliked  on  sight.  But  she  said  to  her- 
self: 

"Shame  on  you,  Kerttu,  not  liking  this  woman  just 
because   she's   old   and   ugly!"   and   she   made   herself 


106  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

answer  the  old  woman's  greetings  politely  and  she  made 
JNIusti  stop  snarling  and  growling. 

The  old  hag  asked  Kerttu  who  she  was  and  where 
she  was  going  and  Kerttu  told  her. 

"Ah!"  said  the  old  woman,  "how  fortunate  that  we 
have  met  each  other  for  our  ways  lie  together!" 

She  smiled  and  petted  Kerttu's  arm  and  Kerttu  felt 
like  shuddering.  But  she  restrained  herself  and  told 
herself  severely: 

"You're  a  wicked  girl  not  to  feel  more  friendly  to  the 
poor  old  thing!" 

Musti  felt  much  as  Kerttu  did.  He  no  longer 
growled  for  Kerttu  had  told  him  not  to,  but  he  drooped 
his  tail  between  his  legs  and,  pressing  up  close  to  Kerttu, 
he  trembled  with  fright.  And  well  he  might,  too,  for 
the  old  hag  was  none  other  than  Suyettar  who  had  been 
waiting  all  these  years  just  for  this  very  chance  to  do 
further  injury  to  Kerttu  and  her  brothers. 

Kerttu,  poor  child,  was,  alas!  too  good  and  innocent 
to  suspect  evil  in  others.     She  said  to  Suyettar: 

"Very  well,  if  our  ways  lie  together  then  we  can  be 
companions." 

So  Suyettar  joined  Kerttu  and  Musti  and  the  three 
of  them  walked  on  following  the  little  cake.     As  the 


THE  LITTLE  SISTER  107 

day  advanced  the  sun  grew  hotter  and  hotter  and  at 
last  when  they  reached  a  lake  Suyettar  said: 

"My  dear,  let  us  sit  down  here  for  a  few  moments 
and  rest." 

They  all  sat  down  and  presently  Suyettar  said: 

"Let  us  go  bathing  in  the  lake.  That  will  refresh 
us." 

Kerttu  would  have  agreed  if  Musti  had  not  tugged  at 
her  skirts  and  warned  her  not  to. 

"Don't  do  it,  dear  mistress!"  Musti  growled  softly. 
"Don't  go  in  bathing  with  her!     She'll  bewitch  you!'* 

So  Kerttu  said: 

"No,  I  don't  want  to  go  in  bathing." 

Suyettar  waited  until  they  were  again  journeying  on 
and  then  when  Kerttu  wasn't  looking  she  turned  around 
and  kicked  Musti  and  broke  one  of  the  poor  little  dog's 
legs.     Thereafter  Musti  had  to  hop  along  on  three  legs. 

The  next  afternoon  when  they  passed  another  lake, 
Suyettar  tried  again  to  tempt  Kerttu  into  the  water. 

"The  sun  is  very  hot,"  she  said,  "and  it  would  refresh 
us  both  to  bathe.  Come,  Kerttu,  my  dear,  don't  refuse 
me  this  time!" 

But  again  Musti  tugged  at  Kerttu's  skirts  and,  lick- 
ing her  hand,  whispered  the  warning: 


108  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

"Don't  do  it,  dear  mistress!  Don't  go  in  bathing 
with  her  or  she  will  bewitch  you!" 

So  again  Kerttu  said  politely: 

"No,  I  don't  feel  like  going  in  bathing.  You  go  in 
alone  and  I'll  wait  for  you  here." 

But  this  was  not  what  Suyettar  wanted  and  she  said, 
no,  she  didn't  care  to  go  in  alone.  She  was  furious,  too, 
with  Musti  and  later  when  Kerttu  wasn't  looking  she 
gave  the  poor  little  dog  a  kick  that  broke  another  leg. 
Thereafter  Musti  had  to  hop  along  on  two  legs. 

They  slept  the  third  night  by  the  wayside  and  the 
next  day  they  went  on  again  always  following  the  magic 
cake.  In  midafternoon  they  passed  a  lake  and  Suyettar 
said: 

"Surely,  my  dear,  you  must  be  tired  and  hot.  Let 
us  both  bathe  in  this  cool  lake." 

But  Musti,  hopping  painfully  along  on  two  legs, 
yelped  weakly  and  said  to  Kerttu : 

"Don't  do  it,  dear  mistress!  Don't  go  in  bathing 
with  her  or  she'll  bewitch  you !" 

So  for  a  third  time  Kerttu  refused  and  later,  when 
she  wasn't  looking,  Suyettar  kicked  Musti  and  broke 
the  third  of  the  poor  little  dog's  legs.  Thereafter  Musti 
hopped  on  as  best  he  could  on  only  one  leg. 

Well,  they  went  on  and  on.     When  night  came  they 


THE  LITTLE  SISTER  109 

slept  by  the  roadside  and  then  next  morning  they  started 
on  again.  The  sun  grew  hot  and  by  midafternoon 
Kerttu  was  tired  and  ready  to  rest.  When  they  reached 
a  lake  Suyettar  again  begged  that  they  both  go  in  bath- 
ing. Kerttu  was  tempted  to  agree  when  poor  Musti 
threw  himself  panting  at  her  feet  and  whimpered : 

"Don't  do  it,  dear  mistress!  Don't  go  in  bathing 
with  her  or  she  will  bewitch  you!" 

So  Kerttu  again  refused. 

"That's  right,  dear  mistress!'*  Musti  panted,  "don't 
do  it!  I  shall  soon  be  dead,  I  know,  for  she  hates  me, 
but  before  I  die  I  want  to  warn  you  one  last  time  never 
to  go  in  bathing  with  her  or  she  will  bewitch  you!" 

"What's  that  dog  saying?"  Suyettar  demanded 
angrily,  and  without  waiting  for  an  answer  she  picked 
up  a  heavy  piece  of  wood  and  struck  poor  Musti  such 
a  blow  on  the  head  that  it  killed  him. 

"What  have  you  done  to  my  poor  little  dog?"  Kerttu 
cried. 

"Don't  mind  him,  my  dear,"  Suyettar  said.  "He 
was  sick  and  lame  and  it  was  better  to  put  him  out  of 
his  misery." 

Suyettar  tried  to  soothe  Kerttu  and  make  her  forget 
Musti  but  all  afternoon  Kerttu  wept  to  think  that  she 
would  never  again  see  her  faithful  little  friend. 


110  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

The  next  afternoon  when  Suyettar  begged  her  to  go 
in  bathing  there  was  no  Musti  to  warn  her  against  it 
and  at  last  Kerttu  allowed  herself  to  be  persuaded. 
She  was  tired  from  her  many  days'  wandering  and  it 
was  true  that  the  first  touch  of  the  cool  water  refreshed 
her. 

"Now  splash  water  in  my  face!"  Suyettar  cried. 

But  Kerttu  didn't  want  to  splash  water  into 
Suyettar's  face  for  she  supposed  Suyettar  was  an  old 
woman  and  she  thought  it  would  be  disrespectful  to 
splash  water  into  the  face  of  an  old  woman. 

"Do  you  hear  me!"  screamed  Suyettar. 

When  Kerttu  still  hesitated,  Suyettar  looked  at  her 
with  such  a  terrible,  threatening  expression  that  Kerttu 
did  as  she  was  bidden.  She  splashed  water  into 
Suyettar's  face  and,  as  the  water  touched  Suyettar's 
eyes,  Suyettar  cried  out : 

"Your  bonny  looks  give  up  to  me 
And  you  take  mine  for  all  to  see !" 

Instantly  they  two  changed  appearance:  Suyettar 
looked  young  and  beautiful  like  Kerttu,  and  Kerttu 
was  changed  to  a  hideous  old  hag.  Then  too  late  she 
realized  that  the  awful  old  woman  to  whom  she  had 
been  so  polite  was  Suyettar. 


Suyettar  bewitching  Kerttu 


THE  LITTLE  SISTER  113 

"Oh,  why,"  Kerttu  cried,  "why  didn't  I  heed  poor 
Musti's  warning!" 

Suyettar  dragged  her  roughly  out  of  the  water. 

"Come  along!"  she  said.  "Dress  yourself  in  those 
rags  of  mine  and  start  that  cake  a-roUing!  We  ought 
to  reach  your  brothers'  house  by  to-night." 

So  poor  Kerttu  had  to  dress  herself  in  Suyettar's 
filthy  old  garments  while  Suyettar,  looking  like  a  fresh 
young  girl,  decked  herself  out  in  Kerttu's  pretty  bodice 
and  skirt. 

Unwillingly  now  and  with  a  heavy  heart  Kerttu  threw 
down  the  cake  and  said : 

"Roll,  roll,  my  little  cake ! 
Show  me  the  way  that  I  must  take 
To  find  at  last  the  brothers  nine 
Whose  own  true  mother  is  also  mine!" 

Off  rolled  the  little  cake  and  they  two  followed  it, 
Kerttu  weeping  bitterly  and  Suyettar  taunting  her  with 
ugly  laughs.  Then  suddenly  Kerttu  forgot  to  weep  for 
Suyettar  took  from  her  her  memory  and  her  tongue. 

The  little  cake  led  them  at  last  to  a  farmhouse  before 
which  it  stopped.  This  was  where  the  nine  brothers 
were  living.  Eight  of  them  were  out  working  in  the 
fields  but  the  youngest  was  at  home.     He  opened  the 


114-  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

door  and  when  Suyettar  told  him  that  she  was  Kerttu, 
his  sister,  he  kissed  her  tenderly  and  made  her  welcome. 
Then  he  invited  her  inside  and  they  sat  side  by  side  on 
the  bench  and  talked  and  Suyettar  told  him  all  she  had 
heard  from  Kerttu  about  his  mother  and  about  the 
tokens  which  had  been  changed  at  Kerttu's  birth.  The 
youngest  brother  listened  eagerly  and  Suyettar  told  her 
story  so  glibly  that  of  course  he  supposed  that  she  was 
his  own  true  sister. 

"And  who  is  the  awful  looking  old  hag  that  has  come 
with  you?"  he  asked  pointing  at  Kerttu. 

"That?  Oh,  that's  an  old  serving  woman  whom  our 
mother  sent  with  me  to  bear  me  company.  She's  dumb 
and  foolish  but  she's  a  good  herd  and  we  can  let  her 
drive  the  cow  out  to  pasture  every  day." 

The  older  brothers  when  they  came  home  were  greatly 
pleased  to  find  what  they  thought  was  their  sister*. 
They  began  to  love  her  at  once  and  to  pet  her  and  they 
said  that  now  she  must  stay  with  them  and  keep  house 
for  them.  She  told  them  that  was  what  she  wanted  to 
do  and  she  said  that  now  she  was  here  the  youngest 
brother  need  no  longer  stay  at  home  but  could  go  out 
every  morning  with  the  rest  of  them  to  work  in  the 
fields. 

So  now  began  a  new  life  for  poor  Kerttu.     In  the 


THE  LITTLE  SISTER  115 

morning  after  the  brothers  were  gone  Suyettar  would 
scold  and  abuse  her.  She  would  bake  a  cake  for  her 
dinner  to  be  eaten  in  the  fields  and  she  would  fill  the 
cake  with  stones  and  sticks  and  filth.  Then  she  would 
take  Kerttu  as  far  as  the  gate  where  she  would  give  her 
back  her  tongue  and  her  memory  and  order  her  roughly 
to  drive  the  cow  to  pasture  and  look  after  it  all  day 
long.  In  the  late  afternoon  when  Kerttu  drove  home 
the  cow,  Suyettar  would  meet  her  at  the  gate  and  take 
from  her  her  tongue  and  her  memory  and  then  in  the 
evening  the  brothers  would  see  her  as  a  foolish  old 
woman  who  couldn't  talk.  Every  morning  and  every 
evening  Kerttu  begged  Suyettar  to  show  her  a  little 
mercy,  but  far  from  showing  her  any  mercy  Suyettar 
grew  more  cruel  from  day  to  day. 

Suyettar  was  very  proud  to  think  that  nine  handsome 
young  men  took  her  for  a  beautiful  girl  and  she  felt 
sure  they  would  never  find  out  their  mistake  for  only 
Kerttu  knew  who  she  really  was  and  Kerttu  was  entirely 
in  her  power. 

At  night  seated  in  the  shadow  in  a  far  corner  of  the 
kitchen  with  her  nine  brothers  laughing  and  talking 
Kerttu  felt  no  sorrow  for  at  such  times  of  course  she 
had  no  memory.  But  during  the  day  it  was  different. 
Then  when  she  was  alone  in  the  meadow  she  had  her 


116  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

memory  and  her  tongue  and  she  thought  about  her  poor 
mother  at  home  anxiously  awaiting  her  return  and  she 
thought  of  her  nine  sturdy  brothers  all  of  whom  might 
now  through  her  mistake  fall  victims  to  Suyettar. 
These  thoughts  made  her  weep  with  grief  and  as  the 
days  went  by  she  put  this  grief  into  a  song  which  she 
sang  constantly: 

*'I've  found  at  last  the  brothers  nine 
Whose  own  true  mother  is  also  mine, 
But  they  know  me  not  from  stick  or  stone! 
They  leave  me  here  to  weep  alone, 
While  Suyettar  sits  in  my  place 
With  stolen  looks  and  stolen  face! 
She  snared  me  first  with  evil  guile 
And  now  she  mocks  me  all  the  while: 
By  night  she  takes  my  tongue  away. 
She  feeds  me  sticks  and  stones  by  day!  .  .  . 
Oh,  little  they  guess,  the  brothers  nine. 
That  their  own  true  mother  is  also  mine !" 

The  brothers  as  they  worked  in  nearby  fields  used  to 
hear  the  song  and  they  wondered  about  it. 

"Strange!"  they  said  to  one  another.  "Can  that  be 
the  old  woman  singing?  In  the  evening  at  home  she 
never  opens  her  mouth  and  our  dear  sister  always  says 
that  she's  dumb  and  foolish." 

One  afternoon  when  Kerttu's  song  sounded  parti- 


THE  LITTLE  SISTER  117 

cularly  sad,  the  youngest  brother  crept  close  to  the 
meadow  where  Kerttu  was  sitting  in  order  to  hear  the 
words.  He  listened  carefully  and  then  hurried  back  to 
the  others  and  with  frightened  face  told  them  what  he 
had  heard. 

"Nonsense !"  the  older  brothers  said.    "It  can't  be  so !" 
However,  they,  too,  wanted  to  hear  for  themselves 
the  words  of  the  strange  song,  so  they  all  crept  near  to 
listen. 

It  looked  like  an  old  hag  who  was  singing  but  the 
voice  that  came  out  of  the  withered  mouth  was  the  voice 
of  a  young  girl.     As  they  listened  they,  too,  grew  pale: 

"I've  found  at  last  the  brothers  nine 
Whose  own  true  mother  is  also  mine, 
But  they  know  me  not  from  stick  or  stone! 
They  leave  me  here  to  weep  alone, 
While  Suyettar  sits  in  my  place 
With  stolen  looks  and  stolen  face! 
She  snared  me  first  with  evil  guile 
And  now  she  mocks  me  all  the  while: 
By  night  she  takes  my  tongue  away, 
She  feeds  me  sticks  and  stones  by  day !  .  .  . 
Oh,  little  they  guess,  the  brothers  nine. 
That  their  own  true  mother  is  also  mine  !'* 

"Can  it  be  true?"  they  said,  whispering  together. 
They  sent  the  youngest  brother  to  question  Kerttu 


118  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

and  he,  when  he  had  heard  her  story,  believed  it  true. 
Then  the  other  brothers  went  to  her  one  by  one  and 
questioned  her  and  finally  they  were  all  convinced  of 
the  truth  of  her  story. 

"It  is  well  for  us,"  they  said,  "if  we  do  not  all  fall  into 
the  power  of  that  awful  creature!  How,  O  how  can 
we  rescue  our  poor  little  sister!" 

"I  can  never  get  back  my  own  looks,"  Kerttu  said, 
"unless  Suyettar  splashes  water  into  my  eyes  and  unless 
I  cry  out  a  magic  rime  as  she  does  it." 

The  brothers  discussed  one  plan  after  another  and 
at  last  agreed  on  one  that  they  thought  might  deceive 
Suyettar. 

They  had  Kerttu  inflame  her  eyes  with  dust  and  come 
groping  home  one  midday.  The  brothers,  too,  were  at 
home  and  as  Kerttu  came  stumbling  into  the  kitchen 
they  said  to  Suyettar : 

"Oh,  sister,  sister,  see  the  poor  old  woman!  Some- 
thing ails  her!  Her  eyes — they're  all  red  and  swollen! 
Get  some  water  and  bathe  them !" 

"Nonsense!"  Suyetter  said.  "The  old  hag's  well 
enough !     Let  her  be !     She  doesn't  need  any  attention !" 

"Oh,  sister!"  the  youngest  brother  said,  reproach- 
fully, "is  that  any  way  for  a  human,  kindhearted  girl 


THE  LITTLE  SISTER  119 

like  you  to  talk?    If  you  won't  bathe  the  old  creature's 
eyes,  I  will  myself!" 

Then  Suyettar  who  of  course  wanted  them  to  think 
that  she  was  a  human,  kindhearted  girl  said,  no,  she 
would  bathe  them.  So  she  took  a  basin  of  water  over 
to  Kerttu  and  told  her  to  lean  down  her  head.  As  she 
splashed  the  first  drop  of  water  into  Kerttu's  eyes, 
Kerttu  cried  out: 

"My  own  true  looks  give  back  to  me 
And  take  your  own  for  all  to  see  1" 

Instantly  Suyettar  was  again  a  hideous  old  hag 
though  still  dressed  in  Kerttu's  pretty  bodice  and  skirt, 
and  Kerttu  was  herself  again,  young  and  fresh  and 
sweet,  though  still  incased  in  Suyettar's  rags.  But  the 
brothers  pretended  that  they  saw  no  difference  and  kept 
on  talking  to  Suyettar  as  though  they  still  thought  her 
Kerttu.  And  Suyettar  because  her  eyes  were  blinded 
with  the  dust  supposed  that  they  were  still  deceived. 

Then  one  of  the  brothers  said  to  Suyettar: 

*' Sister  dear,  the  sauna  is  all  heated  and  ready. 
Don't  you  want  to  bathe?" 

Suyettar  thought  that  this  would  be  a  fine  chance 
to  wash  the  dust  from  her  eyes,  so  she  let  them  lead 


120  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

her  to  the  sauna.  Once  they  got  her  inside  they  locked 
the  door  and  set  the  sauna  a-fire.  Oh,  the  noise  she 
made  then  when  she  found  she  had  been  trapped !  She 
kicked  and  screamed  and  cursed  and  threatened!  But 
Kerttu  and  the  brothers  paid  no  heed  to  her.  They  left 
her  burning  in  the  sauna  while  they  hurried  homewards. 
They  found  their  poor  old  mother  seated  at  the  win- 
dow weeping,  for  she  thought  that  now  Kerttu  as  well 
as  her  sons  was  lost  forever.  As  Kerttu  and  the  nine 
handsome  young  men  came  in  the  gate  she  didn't  recog- 
nize them  until  Kerttu  sang  out: 

"I  bring  at  last  the  brothers  nine 
Whose  own  true  mother  is  also  mine !" 

Then  she  knew  who  they  were  and  with  thanks  to 
God  she  welcomed  them  home. 


THE  FOREST  BRIDE 


The  Story  of  a  Little  Mouse  Who  Was  a  Pri 


ncess 


THE  FOREST  BRIDE 

There  was  once  a  farmer  who  had 
three  sons.  One  day  when  the  boys 
were  grown  to  manhood  he  said  to 
them: 

"My  sons,  it  is  high  time  that  you 
were  all  married.     To-morrow  I  wish 
you  to  go  out  in  search  of  brides." 

"But  where  shall  we  go?"  the  oldest  son  asked. 
"I  have  thought  of  that,  too,"  the  father  said.  "Do 
each  of  you  chop  down  a  tree  and  then  take  the  direction 
in  which  the  fallen  tree  points.  I'm  sure  that  each  of 
you  if  you  go  far  enough  in  that  direction  will  find  a 
suitable  bride." 

So  the  next  day  the  three  sons  chopped  down  trees. 
The  oldest  son's  tree  fell  pointing  north. 

"That  suits  me!"  he  said,  for  he  knew  that  to  the 
north  lay  a  farm  where  a  very  pretty  girl  lived. 

The  tree  of  the  second  son  when  it  fell  pointed  south. 
"That  suits  me!"  the  second  son  declared  thinking  of 

123 


124.  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

a  girl  that  he  had  often  danced  with  who  lived  on  a  farm 
to  the  south. 

The  youngest  son's  tree — the  youngest  son's  name 
was  Veikko — when  it  fell  pointed  straight  to  the  forest. 

"Ha!  Ha!"  the  older  brothers  laughed.  "Veikko 
will  have  to  go  courting  one  of  the  Wolf  girls  or  one  of 
the  Foxes!" 

They  meant  by  this  that  only  animals  lived  in  the 
forest  and  they  thought  they  were  making  a  good  joke 
at  Veikko's  expense.  But  Veikko  said  he  was  perfectly 
willing  to  take  his  chances  and  go  where  his  tree  pointed. 

The  older  brothers  went  gaily  off  and  presented  their 
suits  to  the  two  farmers  whose  daughters  they  admired. 
Veikko,  too,  started  off  with  brave  front  but  after  he 
had  gone  some  distance  in  the  forest  his  courage  began 
to  ebb. 

"How  can  I  find  a  bride,"  he  asked  himself,  "in  a 
place  where  there  are  no  human  creatures  at  all !" 

Just  then  he  came  to  a  little  hut.  He  pushed  open 
the  door  and  went  in.  It  was  empty.  To  be  sure  there 
was  a  little  mouse  sitting  on  the  table,  daintily  combing 
her  whiskers,  but  a  mouse  of  course  doesn't  count. 

"There's  nobody  here!"  Veikko  said  aloud. 

The  little  mouse  paused  in  her  toilet  and  turning  to- 
wards him  said  reproachfully: 


THE  FOREST  BRIDE  125 

"Why,  Veikko,  I'm  here!" 

"But  you  don't  count.     You're  only  a  mouse!" 

"Of  course  I  count!"  the  little  mouse  declared.  "But 
tell  me,  what  were  you  hoping  to  find?" 

"I  was  hoping  to  find  a  sweetheart." 

The  little  mouse  questioned  him  further  and  Veikko 
told  her  the  whole  story  of  his  brothers  and  the  trees. 

"The  two  older  ones  are  finding  sweethearts  easily 
enough,"  Veikko  said,  "but  I  don't  see  how  I  can  off 
here  in  the  forest.  And  it  will  shame  me  to  have  to  go 
home  and  confess  that  I  alone  have  failed." 

"See  here,  Veikko,"  the  little  mouse  said,  "why  don't 
you  take  me  for  your  sweetheart?" 

Veikko  laughed  heartily. 

"But  you're  only  a  mouse!  Whoever  heard  of  a  man 
having  a  mouse  for  a  sweetheart!" 

The  mouse  shook  her  little  head  solemnly. 

"Take  my  word  for  it,  Veikko,  you  could  do  much 
worse  than  have  me  for  a  sweetheart!  Even  if  I  am 
only  a  mouse  I  can  love  you  and  be  true  to  you." 

She  was  a  dear  dainty  little  mouse  and  as  she  sat 
looking  up  at  Veikko  with  her  little  paws  under  her  chin 
and  her  bright  httle  eyes  sparkling  Veikko  liked  her 
more  and  more. 

Then  she  sang  Veikko  a  pretty  little  song  and  the  song 


126  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

cheered  him  so  much  that  he  forgot  his  disappointment 
at  not  finding  a  human  sweetheart  and  as  he  left  her  to 
go  home  he  said: 

"Very  well,  little  mouse,  I'll  take  you  for  my  sweet- 
heart!" 

At  that  the  mouse  made  little  squeaks  of  delight  and 
she  told  him  that  she'd  be  true  to  him  and  wait  for  him 
no  matter  how  long  he  was  in  returning. 

Well,  the  older  brothers  when  they  got  home  boasted 
loudly  about  their  sweethearts. 

"Mine,"  said  the  oldest,  "has  the  rosiest  reddest  cheeks 
you  ever  saw!" 

"And  mine,"  the  second  announced,  "has  long  yellow 
hair!" 

Veikko  said  nothing. 

"What's  the  matter,  Veikko?"  the  older  brothers 
asked  him,  laughing.  "Has  your  sweetheart  pretty 
pointed  ears  or  sharp  white  teeth?" 

You  see  they  were  still  having  their  little  joke  about 
foxes  and  wolves. 

"You  needn't  laugh,"  Veikko  said.  "I've  found  a 
sweetheart.  She's  a  gentle  dainty  little  thing  gowned 
in  velvet." 

"Gowned  in  velvet!"  echoed  the  oldest  brother  with  a 
frown. 


THE  FOREST  BRIDE  127 

"Just  like  a  princess!"  the  second  brother  sneered. 

"Yes,"  Veikko  repeated,  "gowned  in  velvet  like  a 
princess.  And  when  she  sits  up  and  sings  to  me  I'm 
perfectly  happy." 

"Huh!"  grunted  the  older  brothers  not  at  all  pleased 
that  Veikko  should  have  so  grand  a  sweetheart. 

"Well,"  said  the  old  farmer  after  a  few  days,  "now  I 
should  like  to  know  what  those  sweethearts  of  yours  are 
able  to  do.  Have  them  each  bake  me  a  loaf  of 
bread  so  that  I  can  see  whether  they're  good  house- 
wives." 

"Mine  will  be  able  to  bake  bread — I'm  sure  of  that!'' 
the  oldest  brother  declared  boastfully. 

"So  will  mine!"  chorused  the  second  brother. 

Veikko  was  silent. 

"What  about  the  Princess?"  they  said  with  a  laugh. 
"Do  you  think  the  Princess  can  bake  bread?" 

"I  don't  know,"  Veikko  answered  truthfully.  "I'll 
have  to  ask  her." 

Of  course  he  had  no  reason  for  supposing  that  the 
little  mouse  could  bake  bread  and  by  the  time  he 
reached  the  hut  in  the  forest  he  was  feeling  sad  and 
discouraged. 

When  he  pushed  open  the  door  he  found  the  little 
mouse  as  before  seated  on  the  table  daintily  combing 


128  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

her  whiskers.  At  sight  of  Veikko  she  danced  about 
with  dehght. 

"I'm  so  glad  to  see  you!"  she  squeaked.  "I  knew 
you  would  come  back!" 

Then  when  she  noticed  that  he  was  silent  she  asked 
him  what  was  the  matter.    Veikko  told  her: 

"My  father  wants  each  of  our  sweethearts  to  bake 
him  a  loaf  of  bread.  If  I  come  home  without  a  loaf 
my  brothers  will  laugh  at  me." 

"You  won't  have  to  go  home  without  a  loaf!"  the 
little  mouse  said.    "I  can  bake  bread.'* 

Veikko  was  much  surprised  at  this. 

"I  never  heard  of  a  mouse  that  could  bake  bread!" 

"Well,  I  can!"  the  little  mouse  insisted. 

With  that  she  began  ringing  a  small  silver  bell, 
tinkle,  tinkle^  tinkle.  Instantly  there  was  the  sound 
of  hurrying  footsteps,  tiny  scratchy  footsteps,  and  hun- 
dreds of  mice  came  running  into  the  hut. 

The  little  Princess  mouse  sitting  up  very  straight 
and  dignified  said  to  them: 

"Each  of  you  go  fetch  me  a  grain  of  the  finest 
wheat." 

All  the  mice  scampered  quickly  away  and  soon  re- 
turned one  by  one,  each  carrying  a  grain  of  the  finest 
wheat.    After  that  it  was  no  trick  at  all  for  the  Prin- 


THE  FOREST  BRIDE  129 

cess  mouse  to  bake  a  beautiful  loaf  of  wheaten  bread. 

The  next  day  the  three  brothers  presented  their 
father  the  loaves  of  their  sweethearts'  baking.  The 
oldest  one  had  a  loaf  of  rye  bread. 

"Very  good,"  the  farmer  said.  "For  hardworking 
people  like  us  rye  bread  is  good." 

The  loaf  the  second  son  had  was  made  of  barley. 

"Barley  bread  is  also  good,"  the  farmer  said. 

But  when  Veikko  presented  his  loaf  of  beautiful 
wheaten  bread,  his  father  cried  out: 

"What!  White  bread!  Ah,  Veikko  now  must  have 
a  sweetheart  of  wealth!" 

"Of  course!"  the  older  brothers  sneered.  "Didn't  he 
tell  us  she  was  a  Princess?  Say,  Veikko,  when  a  Prin- 
cess wants  fine  white  fliour,  how  does  she  get  it?" 

Veikko  answered  simply: 

"She  rings  a  little  silver  bell  and  when  her  servants 
come  in  she  tells  them  to  bring  her  grains  of  the  finest 
wheat." 

At  this  the  older  brothers  nearly  exploded  with  envy 
until  their  father  had  to  reprove  them. 

"There!  There!"  he  said.  "Don't  grudge  the  boy 
his  good  luck!  Each  girl  has  baked  the  loaf  she  knows 
how  to  make  and  each  in  her  own  way  will  probably 
make  a  good  wife.     But  before  you  bring  them  home 


130  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

to  me  I  want  one  further  test  of  their  skill  in  house- 
wifery. Let  them  each  send  me  a  sample  of  their 
weaving." 

The  older  brothers  were  delighted  at  this  for  they 
knew  that  their  sweethearts  were  skilful  weavers. 

"We'll  see  how  her  ladyship  fares  this  time!"  they 
said,  sure  in  their  hearts  that  Veikko's  sweetheart,  who- 
ever she  was,  would  not  put  them  to  shame  with  her 
weaving. 

Veikko,  too,  had  serious  doubts  of  the  little  mouse's 
abihty  at  the  loom. 

"Whoever  heard  of  a  mouse  that  could  weave?"  he 
said  to  himself  as  he  pushed  open  the  door  of  the 
forest  hut. 

"Oh,  there  you  are  at  last!"  the  little  mouse  squeaked 
joyfully. 

She  reached  out  her  little  paws  in  welcome  and  then 
in  her  excitement  she  began  dancing  about  on  the  table. 

"Are  you  really  glad  to  see  me,  little  mouse?"  Veikko 
asked. 

"Indeed  I  am!"  the  mouse  declared.  "Am  I  not  your 
sweetheart?  I've  been  waiting  for  you  and  waiting, 
just  wishing  that  you  would  return!  Does  your  father 
want  something  more  this  time,  Veikko?" 


THE  FOREST  BRIDE  131 

"Yes,  and  it's  something  I'm  afraid  you  can't  give 
me,  little  mouse." 

"Perhaps  I  can.    Tell  me  what  it  is." 

"It's  a  sample  of  your  weaving.  I  don't  believe  you 
can  weave.    I  never  heard  of  a  mouse  that  could  weave." 

"Tut!  Tut!"  said  the  mouse.  "Of  course  I  can 
weave !  It  would  be  a  strange  thing  if  Veikko's  sweet- 
heart couldn't  weave!" 

She  rang  the  little  silver  bell,  tinkle^  tinkle,  tinkle, 
and  instantly  there  was  the  faint  scratch-scratch  of  a 
hundred  little  feet  as  mice  came  running  in  from  all 
directions  and  sat  up  on  their  haunches  awaiting  their 
Princess'  orders. 

"Go  each  of  you,"  she  said,  "and  get  me  a  fiber  of 
flax,  the  finest  there  is." 

The  mice  went  scurrying  off  and  soon  they  began 
returning  one  by  one  each  bringing  a  fiber  of  flax. 
When  they  had  spun  the  flax  and  carded  it,  the  little 
mouse  wove  a  beautiful  piece  of  fine  linen.  It  was 
so  sheer  that  she  was  able  when  she  folded  it  to  put  it 
into  an  empty  nutshell. 

"Here,  Veikko,"  she  said,  "here  in  this  little  box 
is  a  sample  of  my  weaving.  I  hope  your  father  will 
Hke  it." 


132  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

Veikko  when  he  got  home  felt  almost  embarrassed 
for  he  was  sure  that  his  sweetheart's  weaving  would 
shame  his  brothers.  So  at  first  he  kept  the  nutshell  hid^ 
den  in  his  pocket. 

The  sweetheart  of  the  oldest  brother  had  sent  as  a 
sample  of  her  weaving  a  square  of  coarse  cotton. 

"Not  very  fine,"  the  farmer  said,  "but  good  enough." 

The  second  brother's  sample  was  a  square  of  cotton 
and  linen  mixed. 

"A  little  better,"  the  farmer  said,  nodding  his  head. 

Then  he  turned  to  Veikko. 

"And  you,  Veikko,  has  your  sweetheart  not  given 
you  a  sample  of  her  weaving?" 

Veikko  handed  his  father  a  nutshell  at  sight  of  which 
his  brothers  burst  out  laughing. 

"Ha!  Ha!  Ha!"  they  laughed.  "Veikko's  sweet- 
heart gives  him  a  nut  when  he  asks  for  a  sample  of 
her  weaving." 

But  their  laughter  died  as  the  farmer  opened  the 
nutshell  and  began  shaking  out  a  great  web  of  the 
finest  linen. 

"Why,  Veikko,  my  boy!"  he  cried,  "however  did  your 
sweetheart  get  threads  for  so  fine  a  web?" 

Veikko  answered  modestly: 

"She  rang  a  little  silver  bell  and  ordered  her  servants 


THE  FOREST  BRIDE  133 

to  bring"  her  in  fibers  of  finest  flax.  They  did  so  and 
after  they  had  spun  the  flax  and  carded  it,  my  sweet- 
heart wove  the  web  you  see." 

"Wonderful!"  gasped  the  farmer.  "I  have  never 
known  such  a  weaver !  The  other  girls  will  be  all  right 
for  farmers'  wives  but  Veikko's  sweetheart  might  be 
a  Princess!  Well,"  concluded  the  farmer,  "it's  time 
that  you  all  brought  your  sweethearts  home.  I  want 
to  see  them  with  my  own  eyes.  Suppose  you  bring 
them  to-morrow." 

"She's  a  good  little  mouse  and  I'm  very  fond  of  her," 
Veikko  thought  to  himself  as  he  went  out  to  the  forest, 
"but  my  brothers  will  certainly  laugh  when  they  find 
she  is  only  a  mouse!  Well,  I  don't  care  if  they  do 
laugh!  She's  been  a  good  little  sweetheart  to  me  and 
I'm  not  going  to  be  ashamed  of  her!" 

So  when  he  got  to  the  hut  he  told  the  little  mouse  at 
once  that  his  father  wanted  to  see  her. 

The  little  mouse  was  greatly  excited. 

"I  must  go  in  proper  style!"  she  said. 

She  rang  the  little  silver  bell  and  ordered  her  coach 
and  five.  The  coach  when  it  came  turned  out  to  be  an 
empty  nutshell  and  the  five  prancing  steeds  that  were 
drawing  it  were  five  black  mice.  The  little  mouse 
seated  herself  in  the  coach  with  a  coachman  mouse  on 


134  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

the  box  in  front  of  her  and  a  footman  mouse  on  the  box 
behind  her. 

"Oh,  how  my  brothers  will  laugh!"  thought  Veikko. 

But  he  didn't  laugh.  He  walked  beside  the  coach 
and  told  the  little  mouse  not  to  be  frightened,  that  he 
would  take  good  care  of  her.  His  father,  he  told  her, 
was  a  gentle  old  man  and  would  be  kind  to  her. 

When  they  left  the  forest  they  came  to  a  river  which 
was  spanned  by  a  foot  bridge.  Just  as  Veikko  and 
the  nutshell  coach  had  reached  the  middle  of  the  bridge, 
a  man  met  them  coming  from  the  opposite  direction. 

"Mercy  me!"  the  man  exclaimed  as  he  caught  sight 
of  the  strange  little  coach  that  was  rolling  along  beside 
Veikko.    "\Vhat's  that?" 

He  stooped  down  and  looked  and  then  with  a  loud 
laugh  he  put  out  his  foot  and  pushed  the  coach,  the 
little  mouse,  her  servants,  and  her  five  prancing  steeds 
— all  off  the  bridge  and  into  the  water  below. 

"What  have  you  done!  What  have  you  done!" 
Veikko  cried.  "You've  drowned  my  poor  little  sweet- 
heart!" 

The  man  thinking  Veikko  was  crazy  hurried  away. 

Veikko  with  tears  in  his  eyes  looked  down  into  the 
water. 

"You  poor  little  mouse!"  he  said.    "How  sorry  I  am 


She  beckoned  to  Veikko 


THE  FOREST  BRIDE  137 

that  you  are  drowned!  You  were  a  faithful  loving 
sweetheart  and  now  that  you  are  gone  I  know  how 
much  I  loved  you!" 

As  he  spoke  he  saw  a  beautiful  coach  of  gold  drawn 
by  five  glossy  horses  go  up  the  far  bank  of  the  river. 
A  coachman  in  gold  lace  held  the  reins  and  a  footman 
in  pointed  cap  sat  up  stiffly  behind.  The  most  beau- 
tiful girl  in  the  world  was  seated  in  the  coach.  Her 
skin  was  as  red  as  a  berry  and  as  white  as  snow,  her 
long  golden  hair  gleamed  with  jewels,  and  she  was 
dressed  in  pearly  velvet.  She  beckoned  to  Veikko  and 
when  he  came  close  she  said : 

"Won't  you  come  sit  beside  me?" 

"Me?    Me?"  Veikko  stammered,  too  dazed  to  think. 

The  beautiful  creature  smiled. 

"You  were  not  ashamed  to  have  me  for  a  sweet- 
heart when  I  was  a  mouse,"  she  said,  "and  surely  now 
that  I  am  a  Princess  again  you  won't  desert  me !" 

"A  mouse!"  Veikko  gasped.  "Were  you  the  little 
mouse?'* 

The  Princess  nodded. 

"Yes,  I  was  the  little  mouse  imder  an  evil  enchant- 
ment which  could  never  have  been  broken  if  you  had 
not  taken  me  for  a  sweetheart  and  if  another  human  be- 
ing had  not  drowned  me.     Now  the  enchantment  is 


138  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

broken  forever.  So  come,  we  will  go  to  your  father 
and  after  he  has  given  us  his  blessing  we  will  get  mar- 
ried and  go  home  to  my  kingdom." 

And  that's  exactly  what  they  did.  They  drove  at 
once  to  the  farmer's  house  and  when  Veikko's  father 
and  his  brothers  and  his  brothers'  sweethearts  saw  the 
Princess*  coach  stopping  at  their  gate  they  all  came 
out  bowing  and  scraping  to  see  what  such  grand  folk 
could  want  of  them. 

"Father  I"  Veikko  cried,  "don't  you  know  me?" 

The  farmer  stopped  bowing  long  enough  to  look  up. 

"Why,  bless  my  soul!"  he  cried,  "it's  our  Veikko!" 

"Yes,  father,  I'm  Veikko  and  this  is  the  Princess 
that  I'm  going  to  marry!" 

"A  Princess,  did  you  say,  Veikko?  Mercy  me, 
where  did  my  boy  find  a  Princess?" 

"Out  in  the  forest  where  my  tree  pointed." 

"Well,  well,  well,"  the  farmer  said,  "where  your 
tree  pointed!  I've  always  heard  that  was  a  good  way 
to  find  a  bride." 

The  older  brothers  shook  their  heads  gloomily  and 
muttered : 

"Just  our  luck!  If  only  our  trees  had  pointed  to  the 
forest  we,  too,  should  have  found  princesses  instead  of 
plain  country  wenches!" 


THE  FOREST  BRIDE  139 

But  they  were  wrong:  it  wasn't  because  his  tree 
pointed  to  the  forest  that  Veikko  got  the  Princess,  it 
was  because  he  was  so  simple  and  good  that  he  was 
kind  even  to  a  little  mouse. 

Well,  after  they  had  got  the  farmer's  blessing  they 
rode  home  to  the  Princess'  kingdom  and  were  married. 
And  they  were  happy  as  they  should  have  been  for 
they  were  good  and  true  to  each  other  and  they  loved 
each  other  dearly. 


I 


THE  ENCHANTED  GROUSE 


The  Story  of  HelU  and  the  Little  Locked  Box 


THE  ENCHANTED  GROUSE 

There  was  once  an  old  couple  who 
lived  with  their  married  son  and  his 
wife.    The  son's  name  was  Helli.    He 
was  a  dutiful  son  but  his  wife  was  a 
scold.     She  was  always  finding  fault 
with  the  old  people  and  with  her  hus- 
band and  for  that  matter  with  everybody  else  as  well. 
One  morning  when  she  saw  her  husband  taking  out 
his  bow  and  arrows  she  said; 
** Where  are  you  going  now?" 
"I'm  going  hunting,"  he  told  her. 
"Isn't  that  just  like  you!"  she  cried.    "You're  going 
off  to  have  a  good  time  hunting  and  you  don't  give  a 
thought  to  me  who  have  to  stay  home  alone  with  two 
stupid  old  people!" 

"If  I  didn't  go  hunting,"  Helli  said,  "and  shoot 
•something,  we'd  have  nothing  to  put  in  the  pot  for 
dinner  and  then  you  would  have  reason  to  scold." 
At  that  the  woman  burst  into  tears. 

143 


144.  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

"Of  course,  as  usual  blame  me!  Whatever  happens 
it's  my  fault!" 

Poor  Helli  hurried  off,  hoping  that  by  the  time  he 
returned  his  wife  would  be  in  a  calmer  state  of  mind. 
He  had  small  success  with  his  hunting.  He  shot  arrow 
after  arrow  but  always  missed  his  mark.  Then  when 
he  had  only  one  arrow  left  he  saw  a  Grouse  standing 
in  some  brushwood  so  near  that  there  was  little  likeli- 
hood of  his  missing  it. 

He  took  good  aim  but  before  he  could  fire  the  Grouse 
said: 

"Don't  shoot  me,  brother!    Take  me  home  alive." 

Helli  paused,  then  he  shook  his  head. 

"I've  got  to  shoot  you  for  we've  nothing  to  put  in 
the  pot  for  dinner." 

Again  he  aimed  his  arrow  and  again  the  Grouse  said ; 

"Don't  shoot  me,  brother!    Take  me  home  aUve." 

For  the  second  time  Helli  paused. 

"I'd  like  to  spare  you,"  he  said,  "but  what  would  my 
wife  say  if  I  came  home  empty-handed?" 

He  took  aim  again  and  a  third  time  the  Grouse  said; 

"Don't  shoot  me,  brother!    Take  me  home  alive." 

At  that  Helli  dropped  his  arrow. 

"I  don't  care  what  she  says!  I  can't  shoot  a  crea- 
ture that  begs  so  pitifully  for  its  life!    Very  well,  Mr. 


THE  ENCHANTED  GROUSE  145 

Grouse,  I'll  do  as  you  say:  I'll  take  you  home  alive. 
But  don't  blame  me  if  my  wife  wrings  your  neck." 

He  took  the  Grouse  up  in  his  arms  and  started 
homewards. 

"Feed  me  for  a  year,"  the  Grouse  said,  "and  I'll 
reward  you." 

When  they  reached  home  and  Helli's  wife  saw  the 
Grouse,  she  cried  out  petulantly : 

"Is  that  all  you've  got  and  out  hunting  all  morning! 
That  won't  be  dinner  enough  for  four !" 

"This  Grouse  isn't  to  be  killed,"  Helli  announced. 
"I'm  going  to  keep  it  for  a  year  and  feed  it." 

"It  won't  take  much  to  feed  a  Grouse,"  the  old  man 
remarked. 

But  the  wife  flew  into  a  passion. 

"What !  Feed  a  useless  bird  when  there  isn't  enough 
to  feed  your  own  flesh  and  blood!" 

But  Helli  was  firm  and  despite  her  threats  his  wife 
did  not  dare  to  maltreat  the  Grouse. 

At  the  end  of  a  year  the  Grouse  grew  a  copper 
feather  in  its  tail  which  it  dropped  in  the  dooryard. 
Then  it  disappeared. 

"Ha!"  laughed  Helli's  wife.  "A  copper  feather! 
That's  your  reward  for  feeding  that  thankless  bird  a 
whole  year!    And  now  it's  escaped!" 


146  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

But  the  next  day  the  Grouse  returned. 

"Feed  me  for  another  year,"  it  said  to  Helli,  "and 
I'll  reward  you." 

His  wife  raised  an  awful  to-do  over  this,  but  Helli 
was  firm  and  for  another  year  he  fed  and  petted  the 
Grouse. 

At  the  end  of  the  second  year  the  Grouse  grew  a 
silver  feather  in  its  tail  which  it  dropped  in  the  door- 
yard.    Then  it  disappeared. 

"One  silver  feather!"  Helli's  wife  cried.  "So  that's 
all  you  get  for  feeding  that  thankless  bird  a  whole 
year!    And  now  it's  escaped!" 

But  it  hadn't.     It  returned  the  very  next  day. 

"Feed  me  for  another  year,"  it  said  to  Helli,  "and 
I'll  reward  you." 

At  the  end  of  the  third  year  the  Grouse  grew  a  golden 
feather  in  its  tail  and  when  it  dropped  that  in  the  door- 
yard  the  scolding  wife  hadn't  so  much  to  say,  for  a 
golden  feather  was  after  all  pretty  good  pay  for  a 
few  handfuls  of  grain. 

For  a  day  the  Grouse  disappeared  and  then  when 
it  returned  it  said  to  Helli: 

"Get  on  my  back  and  I'll  reward  you." 

Helli  did  so  and  the  Grouse,  rising  high  in  the  air, 
flew  far  away.    On,  on  it  flew  until  it  reached  the  broad 


On  it  flew  until  if  reached  the  broad  Ocean 


THE  ENCHANTED  GROUSE  149 

Ocean.  Over  the  Ocean  it  flew  until  Helli  could  see 
nothing  but  water  in  whatever  direction  he  looked. 

"Ha!"  he  said  to  himself  with  a  shudder,  "I  hope 
I  can  hold  on!'* 

As  he  spoke,  the  Grouse  slipped  from  beneath  him 
and  he  fell  down,  down,  down.  However,  before  he 
touched  water  the  Grouse  swooped  under  him  and 
caught  him  up  again  high  into  the  air.  He  had  this 
same  terrible  experience  a  second  time  and  a  third  time 
and  each  time  he  thought  his  last  moment  had  arrived. 

"Now,"  the  Grouse  told  him,  'V^u  know  what  my 
feelings  were  when  you  threatened  three  times  to  shoot 
me  with  your  arrow." 

"You  have  taught  me  a  lesson,"  Helli  said. 

After  that  the  Grouse  flew  on  and  on.  At  last  it 
said : 

"Look  straight  ahead,  master,  and  tell  me  what  you 
see." 

Helli  shaded  his  eyes  and  looked. 

"Far,  far  ahead  I  see  what  looks  like  a  copper 
column." 

"Good!"  the  Grouse  said.  "That  is  the  home  of  my 
oldest  sister.  She  will  be  overjoyed  to  see  us  and 
when  she  hears  how  you  have  spared  my  life  she  will 
want  to  make  you  a  present  and  will  offer  you  various 


150  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

things.  Take  my  advice  and  tell  her  that  the  only 
thing  you  want  is  her  little  locked  box  the  key  to  which 
is  lost.    If  she  won't  give  you  that,  accept  nothing." 

The  Grouse's  oldest  sister  received  them  most  hos- 
pitably and  when  she  had  heard  their  story  at  once 
offered  Helli  anything  he  might  like  from  among  her 
treasures. 

"Then  give  me  your  little  locked  box  the  key  to  which 
is  lost,"  Helli  said. 

The  oldest  sister  shook  her  head. 

"My  little  locked  box!  Who  told  you  about  that? 
I'm  sorry,  but  I  cannot  give  you  that!  Take  anything 
else!" 

"No,"  Helli  said,  "that  or  nothing!" 

Wlien  the  oldest  sister  could  not  be  prevailed  upon 
to  give  away  her  little  locked  box,  the  Grouse  had  Helli 
mount  his  back  once  more  and  off  they  flew. 

"We'll  visit  my  second  sister  now,"  he  said.  "If  she 
offers  you  a  present,  ask  her  for  her  little  locked  box 
without  a  key  and  accept  nothing  else." 

On,  on  they  flew  until  the  oldest  sister's  castle  was 
far  behind. 

"Look,  master,"  the  Grouse  said,  "look  straight  ahead 
and  tell  me  what  you  see." 

Helli  shaded  his  eyes  and  looked. 


THE  ENCHANTED  GROUSE  151 

"Far  ahead  I  see  something  that  is  like  a  silver 
cloud." 

"That,"  said  the  Grouse,  "is  the  silver  castle  of  my 
second  sister." 

At  the  silver  castle  the  second  sister  received  them 
with  joy  and  when  she  heard  who  Helli  was  at  once  de- 
clared that  she  wanted  to  show  him  her  gratitude  by 
making  him  a  gift. 

"Ask  from  me  what  you  will,"  she  said,  "and  you 
shall  have  it." 

But  when  he  asked  for  her  little  locked  box  without 
a  key,  she  cried  out: 

"No!    No!    Not  that!    Anything  else!" 

"But  I  don't  want  anything  else!"  Helli  said. 

When  the  Grouse  saw  that  his  second  sister  was  not 
to  be  parted  from  her  little  locked  box,  he  bade  Helli 
mount  his  back  and  off  they  flew  again. 

"We'll  go  to  my  youngest  sister  this  time,'*  he 
said.  "If  she  offers  you  a  present,  ask  for  the  same 
thing.'* 

On,  on  they  flew  until  the  silver  castle  was  lost  to 
view. 

"Now,  master,  look  ahead  and  tell  me  what  you 
see" 

Helli  shaded  his  eyes  and  looked. 


162  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

"I  seem  to  see  a  golden  haze  like  the  sun  behind  a 
cloud." 

"That  is  the  golden  castle  of  my  youngest  sister." 

They  arrived  and  the  youngest  sister  threw  her  arms 
about  the  Grouse  for  she  loved  him  dearly  and  had  not 
seen  him  for  a  long  time. 

"Welcome,  brother!"  she  said.  "And  welcome  also 
toyou,  Helli!" 

Then  she  offered  Helli  a  present  and  when  he  asked 
for  her  little  locked  box  without  a  key  she  gave  it  to 
him  at  once. 

*'It  is  my  most  precious  possession,"  she  said,  "but 
you  may  have  it  for  you  spared  my  dear  brother's  life 
when  you  might  have  taken  it." 

After  they  had  rested  and  feasted  they  bade  the 
youngest  sister  farewell  and  Helli  with  his  precious  box 
held  tightly  in  one  hand  mounted  the  Grouse's  back 
and  oif  they  flew  towards  home. 

"Be  careful  of  the  box,"  the  Grouse  said,  "and  don't 
let  it  out  of  your  hands  until  we  reach  some  beautiful 
spot  where  you'd  like  always  to  live." 

They  passed  high  mountains  and  wooded  lakes  and 
fertile  valleys. 

"Shall  we  stop  here?"  the  Grouse  asked.  "Or  here? 
Or  here?'* 


THE  ENCHANTED  GROUSE  163 

But  always  Helli  said: 

"No,  not  here." 

At  last  they  reached  home  and  the  Grouse  told  Helli 
that  now  they  must  part  forever. 

"By  sparing  my  life  three  times,"  the  Grouse  said, 
"and  then  feeding  me  for  three  years  you  have  broken 
the  enchantment  that  bound  me  and  now  I  shall  not 
have  to  go  about  any  longer  as  a  grouse  but  shall  be 
able  to  resume  my  natural  shape.  Farewell,  Helli,  and 
when  you  find  the  spot  where  you  think  you  would  like 
always  to  live,  drop  the  box  and  you  will  find  you  have 
a  treasure  that  will  more  than  reward  you  for  your 
kindness  to  me." 

The  Grouse  disappeared  and  Helli  said  to  himself: 

"Where  do  I  want  to  live  always  but  right  here  at 
home  with  my  dear  old  father  and  mother  and  my  wife 
who  is  my  wife  even  if  she  does  scold  me  sometimes !" 

So  there  at  home  after  they  all  had  supper  together, 
he  dropped  the  box  on  the  floor.  It  broke  and  out  of 
it  arose  a  beautiful  castle  with  servants  and  riches  and 
everything  that  Helli  had  always  wanted  and  never  had. 
And  Helli  and  his  old  father  and  mother  and  his  wife 
lived  in  it  and  were  happy.  And  gradually  his  wife  got 
over  her  habit  of  scolding  for  when  you're  happy  you 
haven't  anything  to  scold  about. 


il 


i 


THE  TERRIBLE  OLLI 


The  Story  of  an  Honest  Finn  and  a  Wicked  Troll 


J 


THE  TERRIBLE  OLLI 

There  was  once  a  wicked  rich  old 
Troll  who  lived  on  a  Mountain  that 
sloped  down  to  a  Bay.  A  decent  Finn, 
a  farmer,  lived  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  Bay.  The  farmer  had  three 
sons.  When  the  boys  had  reached 
manhood  he  said  to  them  one  day: 

"I  should  think  it  would  shame  you  three  strong 
youths  that  that  wicked  old  Troll  over  there  should 
live  on  year  after  year  and  no  one  trouble  him.  We 
work  hard  like  honest  Finns  and  are  as  poor  at  the 
end  of  the  year  as  at  the  beginning.  That  old  Troll 
with  all  his  wickedness  grows  richer  and  richer.  I  tell 
you,  if  you  boys  had  any  real  spirit  you'd  take  his 
riches  from  him  and  drive  him  away!" 

His  youngest  son,  whose  name  was  OUi,  at  once 
cried  out: 

"Very  well,  father,  I  will!" 

But  the  two  older  sons,  offended  at  Dili's  promptness, 
declared: 

157 


168  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

"You'll  do  no  such  thing!  Don't  forget  your  place 
in  the  family!  You're  the  youngest  and  we're  not  go- 
ing to  let  you  push  us  aside.  Now,  father,  we  two  will 
go  across  the  Bay  and  rout  out  that  old  Troll.  Olli 
may  come  with  us  if  he  likes  and  watch  us  while  we 
do  it." 

Olli  laughed  and  said:  "All  right!"  for  he  was  used 
to  his  brothers  treating  him  like  a  baby. 

So  in  a  few  days  the  three  brothers  walked  around 
the  Bay  and  up  the  Mountain  and  presented  themselves 
at  the  Troll's  house.  The  Troll  and  his  old  wife  were 
both  at  home.  They  received  the  brothers  with  great 
civility. 

"You're  the  sons  of  the  Finn  who  lives  across  the 
Bay,  aren't  you?"  the  Troll  said.  "I've  watched  you 
boys  grow  up.  I  am  certainly  glad  to  see  you  for  I 
have  three  daughters  who  need  husbands.  Marry  my 
daughters  and  you'll  inherit  my  riches." 

The  old  Troll  made  this  offer  in  order  to  get  the 
young  men  into  his  power. 

"Be  careful!"  Olli  whispered. 

But  the  brothers  were  too  delighted  at  the  prospect 
of  inheriting  the  Troll's  riches  so  easily  to  pay  any 
heed  to  Olli's  warning.  Instead  they  accepted  the 
Troll's  offer  at  once. 


THE  TERRIBLE  OLLI  159 

Well,  the  old  Troll's  wife  made  them  a  fine  supper 
and  after  supper  the  Troll  sent  them  to  bed  with  his 
three  daughters.  But  first  he  put  red  caps  on  the 
three  youths  and  white  caps  on  the  three  Troll  girls. 
He  made  a  joke  about  the  caps. 

"A  red  cap  and  a  white  cap  in  each  bed!"  he  said. 

The  older  brothers  suspected  nothing  and  soon  fell 
asleep.  Olli,  too,  pretended  to  fall  asleep  and  when 
he  was  sure  that  none  of  the  Troll  girls  were  still  awake 
he  got  up  and  quietly  changed  the  caps.  He  put  the 
white  caps  on  himself  and  his  brothers  and  the  red  caps 
CD  the  Troll  girls.  Then  he  crept  back  to  bed  and 
waited. 

Presently  the  old  Troll  came  over  to  the  beds  with 
a  long  knife  in  his  hand.  There  was  so  little  light  in 
the  room  that  he  couldn't  see  the  faces  of  the  sleepers, 
but  it  was  easy  enough  to  distinguish  the  white  caps 
from  the  red  caps.  With  three  swift  blows  he  cut  off 
the  heads  under  the  red  caps,  thinking  of  course  they 
were  the  heads  of  the  three  Finnish  youths.  Then  he 
went  back  to  bed  with  the  old  Troll  wife  and  Olli  could 
hear  them  both  chuckling  and  laughing.  After  a  time 
they  went  soundly  to  sleep  as  Olli  could  tell  from  their 
deep  regular  breathing  and  their  loud  snores. 

Olli  now  roused  his  brothers  and  told  them  what  had 


160  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

happened  and  the  three  of  them  slipped  quietly  out  of 
the  Troll  house  and  hurried  home  to  their  father  on 
the  other  side  of  the  Bay. 

After  that  the  older  brothers  no  longer  talked  of  de- 
spoiling the  Troll.  They  didn't  care  to  try  another 
encounter  with  him. 

"He  might  have  cut  our  heads  off!"  they  said,  shud- 
dering to  think  of  the  awful  risk  they  had  run. 

OUi  laughed  at  them. 

"Come  on!"  he  kept  saying  to  them  day  after  day. 
"Let's  go  across  the  Bay  to  the  Troll's!" 

"We'll  do  no  such  thing !"  they  told  him.  "And  you 
wouldn't  suggest  it  either  if  you  weren't  so  young  and 
foohsh!" 

"Well,"  Olli  announced  at  last,  "if  you  won't  come 
with  me  I'm  going  alone.  I've  heard  that  the  Troll  has 
a  horse  with  hairs  of  gold  and  silver.  I've  decided  I 
want  that  horse." 

"Olli,"  his  father  said,  "I  don't  believe  you  ought 
to  go.  You  know  what  your  brothers  say.  That  old 
Troll  is  an  awfully  sly  one!" 

But  Olli  only  laughed. 

"Good-by!"  he  called  back  as  he  waved  his  hand. 
"When  you  see  me  again  I'll  be  riding  the  Troll's 
horse  I" 


t 


OUi  and  the  TroWs  horse 


I 


:fr  «   '. 


THE  TERRIBLE  OLLI  163 

The  Troll  wasn't  at  home  but  the  old  Troll  wife  was 
there.  When  she  saw  Olli  she  thought  to  herself: 
,  "Mercy  me,  here's  that  Finnish  boy  again,  the  one 
that  changed  the  caps!  ^Vhat  shall  I  do?  I  must  keep 
him  here  on  some  pretext  or  other  until  the  Troll  comes 
home!" 

So  she  pretended  to  be  very  glad  to  see  him. 

"Why,  Olli,"  she  said,  "is  that  you?    Come  right  in!'* 

She  talked  to  him  as  long  as  she  could  and  when  she 
could  think  of  nothing  more  to  say  she  asked  him 
would  he  take  the  horse  and  water  it  at  the  Lake. 

"That  will  keep  him  busy,"  she  thought  to  herself, 
"and  long  before  he  gets  back  from  the  Lake  the  Troll 
will  be  here." 

But  Olli,  instead  of  leading  the  horse  down  to  the 
Lake,  jumped  on  its  back  and  galloped  away.  By  the 
time  the  Troll  reached  home,  he  was  safely  on  the 
other  side  of  the  Bay. 

When  the  Troll  heard  from  the  old  Troll  wife  what 
had  happened,  he  went  down  to  the  shore  and  hallooed 
across  the  Bay: 

"OIU!    Oh,  Olli,  are  you  there?" 

Olli  made  a  trumpet  of  his  hands  and  called  back: 

"Yes,  I'm  here!    What  do  you  want?" 

"Olli,  have  you  got  my  horse?" 


164  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

"Yes,  I've  got  your  horse  but  it's  my  horse  now  I" 

"OUil  Olli!"  his  father  cried.  "You  mustn't  talk 
that  way  to  the  Troll!    You'll  make  him  angry!" 

And  his  brothers  looking  with  envy  at  the  horse  with 
gold  and  silver  hairs  warned  him  sourly: 

"You  better  be  careful,  young  man,  or  the  Troll  will 
get  you  yet!'* 

A  few  days  later  Olli  announced : 

"I  think  I'll  go  over  and  get  the  Troll's  money-bag." 

His  father  tried  to  dissuade  him. 

"Don't  be  foolhardy,  Olli!  Your  brothers  say  you 
had  better  not  go  to  the  Troll's  house  again." 

But  Olli  only  laughed  and  started  gaily  off  as  though 
he  hadn't  a  fear  in  the  world. 

Again  he  found  the  old  Troll  wife  alone. 

"Mercy  me!"  she  thought  to  herself  as  she  saw  him 
coming,  "here  is  that  terrible  Olli  again!  \Vhatever 
shall  I  do?  I  mustn't  let  him  off  this  time  before  the 
Troll  gets  back  I  I  must  keep  him  right  here  with  me 
in  the  house." 

So  when  he  came  in  she  pretended  that  she  was  tired 
and  that  her  back  ached  and  she  asked  him  would  he 
watch  the  bread  in  the  oven  while  she  rested  a  few  mo- 
ments on  the  bed. 

''Certainly  I  will,"  Olli  said. 


THE  TERRIBLE  OLLI  165 

So  the  old  Troll  wife  lay  down  on  the  bed  and  Olli 
sat  quietly  in  front  of  the  oven.  The  Troll  wife  really 
was  tired  and  before  she  knew  it  she  fell  asleep. 

"Ha!"  thought  Olli,  "here's  my  chance!" 

Without  disturbing  the  Troll  wife  he  reached  under 
the  bed,  pulled  out  the  big  money-bag  full  of  silver 
pieces,  threw  it  over  his  shoulder,  and  hurried  home. 

He  was  measuring  the  money  when  he  heard  the 
Troll  hallooing  across  to  him: 

"OIH!    Oh,  Olli,  are  you  there?" 

"Yes,"  Olli  shouted  back,  "I'm  here!  What  do  you 
want?" 

"Olli,  have  you  got  my  money-bag?" 

"Yes,  I've  got  your  money-bag  but  it's  my  money- 
bag now!" 

A  few  days  later  Olli  said: 

"Do  you  know,  the  Troll  has  a  beautiful  coverlet 
woven  of  silk  and  gold.    I  think  I'll  go  over  and  get  it." 

His  father  as  usual  protested  but  Olli  laughed  at 
him  merrily  and  went.  He  took  with  him  an  auger  and 
a  can  of  water.  He  hid  until  it  was  dark,  then  climbed 
the  roof  of  the  Troll's  house  and  bored  a  hole  right  over 
the  bed.  When  the  Troll  and  his  wife  went  to  sleep 
he  sprinkled  some  water  on  the  coverlet  and  on  their 
faces. 


166  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

The  Troll  woke  with  a  start. 

"I'm  wet!"  he  said,  "and  the  bed's  wet,  too!" 

The  old  Troll  wife  got  up  to  change  the  covers. 

"The  roof  must  be  leaking,"  she  said.  "It  never 
leaked  before.    I  suppose  it  was  that  last  wind." 

She  threw  the  wet  coverlet  up  over  the  rafters  to 
dry  and  put  other  covers  on  the  bed. 

Wlien  she  and  the  Troll  were  again  asleep,  OUi  made 
the  hole  a  little  bigger,  reached  in  his  hand,  and  got 
the  coverlet  from  the  rafters. 

The  next  morning  the  Troll  hallooed  across  the  Bay: 

"Olh!    Oh,  OUi,  are  you  there?" 

"Yes,"  OUie  shouted  back,  "I'm  here!  What  do  you 
want?" 

"Have  you  got  my  coverlet  woven  of  silk  and  gold?" 

"Yes,"  Olli  told  him,  "I've  got  your  coverlet  but  it's 
my  coverlet  now!" 

A  few  days  later  Olli  said: 

"There's  still  one  thing  in  the  Troll's  house  that  I 
think  I  ought  to  get.  It's  a  golden  bell.  If  I  get  that 
golden  bell  then  there  will  be  nothing  left  that  had 
better  belong  to  an  honest  Finn." 

So  he  went  again  to  the  Troll's  house  taking  with 
him  a  saw  and  an  auger.  He  hid  until  night  and,  when 
the  Troll  and  his  wife  were  asleep,  he  cut  a  hole  tlu-ough 


THE  TERRIBLE  OLLI  167 

the  side  of  the  house  through  which  he  reached  in  his 
hand  to  get  the  bell.  At  the  touch  of  his  hand  the  bell 
tinkled  and  woke  the  Troll.  The  Troll  jumped  out  of 
bed  and  grabbed  Olli's  hand. 

"Ha!  Ha!"  he  cried.  "I've  got  you  now  and  this 
time  you  won't  get  away!" 

Olli  didn't  try  to  get  away.  He  made  no  resistance 
while  the  Troll  dragged  him  into  the  house. 

"We'll  eat  him— that's  what  we'll  do!"  the  Troll  said 
to  his  wife.  "Heat  the  oven  at  once  and  we'll  roast 
him!" 

So  the  Troll  wife  built  a  roaring  fire  in  the  oven. 

"He'll  make  a  fine  roast!"  the  Troll  said,  pinching 
Olli's  arms  and  legs.  "I  think  we  ought  to  invite  the 
other  Troll  folk  to  come  and  help  us  eat  him  up.  Sup- 
pose I  just  go  over  the  Mountain  and  gather  them  in. 
You  can  manage  here  without  me.  As  soon  as  the  oven 
is  well  heated  just  take  Olli  and  slip  him  in  and  close 
the  door  and  by  the  time  we  come  he'll  be  done." 

"Very  well,"  the  Troll  wife  said,  "but  don't  be  too 
long!  He's  young  and  tender  and  will  roast 
quickly !" 

So  the  Troll  went  out  to  invite  to  the  feast  the  Troll 
folk  who  lived  on  the  other  side  of  the  Mountain  and 
Olli  was  left  alone  with  the  Troll  wife. 


168  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

When  the  oven  was  well  heated  she  raked  out  the 
coals  and  said  to  Olli: 

"Now  then,  my  boy,  sit  down  in  front  of  the  oven 
with  your  back  to  the  opening  and  I'll  push  you  in 
nicely." 

OIH  pretended  he  didn't  quite  understand.  He  sat 
down  first  one  way  and  then  another,  spreading  himself 
out  so  large  that  he  was  too  big  for  the  oven  door. 

"Not  that  way !"  the  Troll  wife  kept  saying.  "Hunch 
up  little,  straight  in  front  of  the  door!" 
"You  show  me  how,"  OIH  begged. 
So  the  old  Troll  wife  sat  down  before  the  oven 
directly  in  front  of  the  opening,  and  she  hunched  her- 
self up  very  compactly  with  her  chin  on  her  knees  and 
her  arms  around  her  legs. 

"Oh,  that  way  I"  Olli  said,  "so  that  you  can  just  take 
hold  of  me  and  push  me  in  and  shut  the  door!" 

And  as  he  spoke  he  took  hold  of  her  and  pushed  her 
in  and  slammed  the  door!  And  that  was  the  end  of 
the  old  Troll  wife! 

OIH  let  her  roast  in  the  oven  until  she  was  done  to 
a  turn.  Then  he  took  her  out  and  put  her  on  the  table 
all  ready  for  the  feast. 

Then  he  filled  a  sack  with  straw  and  dressed  the  sack 
up  in  some  of  the  old  Troll  wife's  clothes.    He  threw 


THE  TERRIBLE  OLLI  169 

the  dressed  up  sack  on  the  bed  and,  just  to  glance  at 
it,  you'd  suppose  it  was  the  Troll  wife  asleep. 

Then  OIH  took  the  golden  bell  and  went  home. 

Well,  presently  the  Troll  and  all  the  Troll  folk  from 
over  the  Mountain  came  trooping  in. 

"Yum!  Yum!  It  certainly  smells  good!"  they  said 
as  they  got  the  first  whiff  from  the  big  roast  on  the 
table. 

"See!"  the  Troll  said,  pointing  to  the  bed.  "The  old 
woman's  asleep!  Well,  let  her  sleep!  She's  tired! 
We'll  just  sit  down  without  her!" 

So  they  set  to  and  feasted  and  feasted. 

"Ha!  Ha!"  said  the  Troll.  "This  is  the  way  to 
serve  a  troublesome  young  Finn!" 

Just  then  his  knife  struck  something  hard  and  he 
looked  down  to  see  what  it  was. 

"Mercy  me!"  he  cried,  "if  here  isn't  one  of  the  old 
woman's  beads!  What  can  that  mean?  You  don't  sup- 
pose the  roast  is  not  Olli  after  all  but  the  old  woman! 
No!    No!    It  can't  be!" 

He  got  up  and  went  over  to  the  bed.  Then  he  came 
back  shaking  his  head  sadly. 

"My  friends,"  he  said,  "we've  been  eating  the  old 
woman!  However,  we've  eaten  so  much  of  her  that  I 
suppose  we  might  as  well  finish  her !" 


170  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

So  the  Troll  folk  sat  all  night  feasting  and  drinking. 

At  dawn  the  Troll  went  down  to  the  water  and  hal- 
looed across: 

"Olh!    Oh,  Olli,  are  you  there?" 

Olli  who  was  safely  home  shouted  back : 

"Yes,  I'm  here!    What  do  you  want?" 

"Have  you  got  my  golden  bell?" 

"Yes,  I've  got  your  golden  bell  but  it's  my  golden 
bell  now!" 

"One  thing  more,  Olli:  did  you  roast  my  old  woman?" 

"Your  old  woman?"  Olli  echoed.  "Look!  Is  that 
she?" 

Olli  pointed  at  the  rising  sun  which  was  coming  up 
behind  the  Troll. 

The  Troll  turned  and  looked.  He  looked  straight 
at  the  sun  and  then,  of  course,  he  burst! 

So  that  was  the  end  of  him ! 

Well,  after  that  no  other  Troll  ever  dared  settle  on 
that  side  of  the  Mountain.  They  were  all  too  afraid  of 
the  Terrible  OlHI 


I 


THE  DEVIL'S  HIDE 


The  Story  of  the  Boy  Who  Wouldn't  Lose  His 

Temper 


THE  DEVIL'S  HIDE 


There  was  once  a  Finnish  boy  who 
got  the  best  of  the  Devil.  His  name 
was  Erkki.  Erkki  had  two  brothers 
who  were,  of  course,  older  than  he. 
They  both  tried  their  luck  with  the 
Devil  and  got  the  worst  of  it.  Then 
Erkki  tried  his  luck.  They  were  sure  Erkki,  too,  would 
be  worsted,  but  he  wasn't.  Here  is  the  whole  story: 
One  day  the  oldest  brother  said : 
"It's  time  for  me  to  go  out  into  the  world  and  earn 
my  Hving.  Do  you  two  younger  ones  wait  here  at  home 
until  you  hear  how  I  get  on." 

The  younger  boys  agreed  to  this  and  the  oldest 
brother  started  out.  He  was  unable  to  get  employ- 
ment until  by  chance  he  met  the  Devil.  The  Devil  at 
once  offered  him  a  place  but  on  very  strange  terms. 

"Come  work  for  me,"  the  Devil  said,  "and  I  promise 
that  you'll  be  comfortably  housed  and  well  fed.  We'll 
make  this  bargain:  the  first  of  us  who  loses  his  temper 

173 


174  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

will  forfeit  to  the  other  enough  of  his  own  hide  to  sole 
a  pair  of  boots.  If  I  lose  my  temper  first,  you  may 
exact  from  me  a  big  patch  of  my  hide.  If  you  lose  your 
temper  first,  I'll  exact  the  same  from  you." 

The  oldest  brother  agreed  to  this  and  the  Devil  at 
once  took  him  home  and  set  him  to  work. 

"Take  this  ax,"  he  said,   "and  go  out  behind  the 
house  and  chop  me  some  firewood." 

The  oldest  brother  took  the  ax  and  went  out  to  the 
woodpile. 

"Chopping  wood  is  easy  enough,"  he  thought  to 
himself. 

But  at  the  first  blow  he  found  that  the  ax  had  no 
edge.    Try  as  he  would  he  couldn't  cut  a  single  log. 

"I'd  be  a  fool  to  stay  here  and  waste  my  time  with 
such  an  ax!"  he  cried. 

So  he  threw  down  the  ax  and  ran  away  thinking 
to  escape  the  Devil  and  get  work  somewhere  else.  But 
the  Devil  had  no  intention  of  letting  him  escape.  He 
ran  after  him,  overtook  him,  and  asked  him  what  he 
meant  leaving  thus  without  notice. 

"I  don't  want  to  work  for  you!"  the  oldest  brother 
cried,  petulantly. 

"Very  well,"  the  Devil  said,  "but  don't  lose  your 
temper  about  it." 


THE  DEVIL'S  HIDE  ITS 

"I  will  so  lose  my  temper!"  the  oldest  brother 
declared.  "The  idea — expecting  me  to  cut  wood  with 
such  an  ax!" 

*'Well,"  the  Devil  remarked,  "since  you  insist  on 
losing  your  temper,  you'll  have  to  forfeit  me  enough  of 
your  hide  to  sole  a  pair  of  boots!  That  was  our 
bargain." 

The  oldest  brother  howled  and  protested  but  to  no 
purpose.  The  Devil  was  firm.  He  took  out  a  long 
knife  and  slit  off  enough  bf  the  oldest  brother's  hide 
to  sole  a  pair  of  big  boots. 

*'Now  then,  my  boy,"  he  said,  "now  you  may  go." 

The  oldest  brother  went  limping  home  complaining 
bitterly  at  the  hard  fate  that  had  befallen  him. 

"I'm  tired  and  sick,"  he  told  his  brothers,  "and  I'm 
going  to  stay  home  and  rest.  One  of  you  will  have  to 
go  out  and  get  work." 

The  second  brother  at  once  said  that  he'd  be  delighted 
to  try  his  luck  in  the  world.  So  he  started  out  and  he 
had  exactly  the  same  experience.  At  first  he  could  get 
no  work,  then  he  met  the  Devil  and  the  Devil  made 
exactly  the  same  bargain  with  him  that  he  had  made 
with  the  oldest  brother.  He  took  the  second  brother 
home  with  him,  gave  him  the  same  dull  ax,  and  sent  him 
out  to  the  woodpile.    After  the  first  stroke  the  second 


176  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

brother  threw  down  the  ax  in  disgust  and  tried  to  run 
off  and  the  Devil,  of  course,  wouldn't  let  him  go  until 
he,  too,  had  submitted  to  the  loss  of  a  great  patch  of 
hide.  So  it  was  no  time  at  all  before  the  second  brother 
eame  limping  home  complaining  bitterly  at  fate. 

"What  ails  you  two?"  Erkki  said. 

"You  go  out  into  the  cruel  world  and  hunt  work," 
they  told  him,  "and  you'll  find  out  soon  enough  what 
ails  us!  And  when  you  do  find  out  you  needn't  come 
limping  home  expecting  sympathy  from  us  for  you 
won't  get  it!" 

So  the  very  next  day  Erkki  started  out,  leaving  his 
brothers  at  home  nursing  their  sore  backs  and  their 
injured  feelings. 

Well,  Erkki  had  exactly  the  same  experience.  At 
first  he  could  get  work  nowhere,  then  later  he  met  the 
Devil  and  went  into  his  employ  on  exactly  the  same 
terms  as  his  brothers. 

The  Devil  handed  him  the  same  dull  ax  and  sent  him 
out  to  the  woodpile.  At  the  first  blow  Erkki  knew  that 
the  ax  had  lost  its  edge  and  would  never  cut  a  single 
log.  But  instead  of  being  discouraged  and  losing  his 
temper,  he  only  laughed. 

"I  suppose  the  Devil  thinks  I'll  lose  my  hide  over  a 
trifle  like  this!"  he  said.    "Well,  I  just  won't!" 


THE  DEVIL'S  HIDE  177 

He  dropped  the  ax  and,  going  over  to  the  woodpile, 
began  pulling  it  down.  Under  all  the  logs  he  found 
the  Devil's  cat.  It  was  an  evil  looking  creature  with 
a  gray  head. 

"Hal"  thought  Erkki,  "I  bet  anything  youVe  got 
something  to  do  with  this!" 

He  raised  the  dull  ax  and  with  one  blow  cut  off  the 
evil  creature's  head.  Sure  enough  the  ax  instantly  re- 
covered its  edge  and  after  that  Erkki  had  no  trouble 
at  all  in  chopping  as  much  firewood  as  the  Devil  wanted. 

That  night  at  supper  the  Devil  said: 

"Well,  Erkki,  did  you  finish  the  work  I  gave  you?" 

"Yes,  master,  I've  chopped  all  that  wood," 

The  Devil  was  surprised. 

"Really?" 

"Yes,  master.    You  can  go  out  and  see  for  yourself." 

"Then  you  found  something  in  the  woodpile,  didn't 
you?" 

"Nothing  but  an  awful  looking  old  cat." 

The  Devil  started. 

**Did  you  do  anything  to  that  cat?" 

"I  only  chopped  its  head  off  and  threw  it  away." 

"What!"  the  Devil  cried  angrily.  "Didn't  you  know 
that  was  my  cat!'* 

"There  now,  master,"  Erkki  said  soothingly,  "you're 


178  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

not  going  to  lose  your  temper  over  a  little  thing  like  a 
dead  cat,  are  you?    Don't  forget  our  bargain!" 

The  Devil  swallowed  his  anger  and  murmured: 

*'No,  I'm  not  going  to  lose  my  temper  but  I  must  say 
that  was  no  way  to  treat  my  cat." 

The  next  day  the  Devil  ordered  Erkki  to  go  out  to 
the  forest  and  bring  home  some  logs  on  the  ox  sledge. 

"My  black  dog  will  go  with  you,"  he  said,  "and  as 
you  come  home  you're  to  take  exactly  the  same  course 
the  dog  takes." 

Well,  Erkki  went  out  to  the  forest  and  loaded  the 
ox  sledge  with  logs  and  then  drove  the  oxen  home  fol- 
lowing the  Devil's  black  dog.  As  they  reached  the 
Devil's  house  the  black  dog  jumped  through  a  hole  in 
the  gate. 

"I  must  follow  master's  orders,"  Erkki  said  to  him- 
self. 

So  he  cut  up  the  oxen  into  small  pieces  and  put  them 
through  the  same  hole  in  the  gate;  he  chopped  up  the 
logs  and  pitched  them  through  the  hole;  and  he  broke 
up  the  sledge  into  pieces  small  enough  to  follow  the 
oxen  and  the  logs.  Then  he  crept  through  the  hole 
himself. 

That  night  at  supper  the  Devil  said: 


THE  DEVIL'S  HIDE  179 

"Well,  Erkki,  did  you  come  home  the  way  I  told 
you?" 

"Yes,  master,  I  followed  the  black  dog." 

"What!"  the  Devil  cried.  "Do  you  mean  to  say  you 
brought  the  oxen  and  the  sledge  and  the  logs  through 
the  hole  in  the  gate?" 

"Yes,  master,  that's  what  I  did." 

"But  you  couldn't!"  the  Devil  declared. 

"Well,  master,"  Erkki  said,  "just  go  out  and  see." 

The  Devil  went  outside  and  when  he  saw  the  method 
by  which  Erkki  had  carried  out  his  orders  he  was  furi- 
ous.   But  Erkki  quieted  him  by  saying: 

"There  now,  master,  you're  not  going  to  lose  your 
temper  over  a  trifling  matter  like  this,  are  you?  Re- 
member our  bargain!" 

"N-n-no,"  the  Devil  said,  again  swallowing  his  anger, 
"I'm  not  going  to  lose  my  temper,  but  I  want  you  to 
vmderstand,  Erkki,  that  I  think  you've  acted  very  badly 
in  this!" 

All  that  evening  the  Devil  fumed  and  fussed  about 
.  Erkki. 

"We've  got  to  get  rid  of  that  boy!  That's  all  there 
is  about  it !"  he  said  to  his  wife. 

Of  course  whenever  Erkki  was  in  sight  the  Devil 


180  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

tried  to  smile  and  look  pleasant,  but  as  soon  as  Erkki 
was  gone  he  went  back  at  once  to  his  grievance.  He 
declared  emphatically: 

"There's  no  living  in  peace  and  comfort  with  such  a 
boy  around!" 

"Well,"  his  wife  said,  "if  you  feel  that  way  about  it, 
why  don't  you  kill  him  to-night  when  he's  asleep  ?  We 
could  throw  his  body  into  the  lake  and  no  one  be  the 
wiser." 

"That's  a  fine  idea!"  the  Devil  said.  "Wake  me  up 
some  time  after  midnight  and  I'll  do  it!" 

Now  Erkki  overheard  this  little  plan,  so  that  night 
he  kept  awake.  AVhen  he  knew  from  their  snoring  that 
the  Devil  and  his  wife  were  sound  asleep,  he  slipped 
over  to  their  bed,  quietly  lifted  the  Devil's  wife  in  his 
arms,  and  without  awakening  her  placed  her  gently  in 
his  own  bed.  Then  he  put  on  some  of  her  clothes  and 
laid  himself  down  beside  the  Devil  in  the  wife's  place. 

Presently  he  nudged  the  Devil  awake. 

"What  do  you  want?"  the  Devil  mumbled. 

"Sst!"  Erkki  whispered.  "Isn't  it  time  we  got  up 
and  killed  Erkki?" 

"Yes,"  the  Devil  answered,  "it  is.     Come  along." 

They  got  up  quietly  and  the  Devil  reached  down  a 
great  sword  from  the  wall.     Then  they  crept  over  to 


THE  DEVIL'S  HIDE  181 

Erkki's  bed  and  the  Devil  with  one  blow  cut  off  the 
head  of  the  person  who  was  lying  there  asleep. 

"Now,"  he  said,  "we'll  just  carry  out  the  bed  and  all 
and  dump  it  in  the  lake." 

So  Erkki  took  one  end  of  the  bed  and  the  Devil  the 
other  and,  stumbling  and  slipping  in  the  darkness,  they 
carried  it  down  to  the  lake  and  pitched  it  in. 

"That's  a  good  job  done!"  the  Devil  said  with  a 
laugh. 

Then  they  went  back  to  bed  together  and  the  Devil 
fell  instantly  asleep. 

The  next  morning  when  he  got  up  for  breakfast, 
there  was  Erkki  stirring  the  porridge. 

"How — did  you  get  here?"  the  Devil  asked.  "I  mean 
— I  mean  where  is  my  wife?" 

"Your  wife?  Don't  you  remember,"  Erkki  said,  "you 
cut  off  her  head  last  night  and  then  we  threw  her  into 
the  lake,  bed  and  all!    But  no  one  will  be  the  wiser!" 

"W-wh-what!"  the  Devil  cried,  and  he  was  about 
to  fly  into  an  awful  rage  when  Erkki  restrained  him 
by  saying: 

"There  now,  master,  you're  not  going  to  lose  your 
temper  over  a  little  thing  like  a  wife,  are  you?  Remem- 
ber our  bargain!" 

So  the  Devil  was  forced  again  to  swallow  his  anger. 


182  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

"No,  I'm  not  going  to  lose  my  temper,"  he  said,  "but 
I  tell  you  frankly,  Erkki,  I  don't  think  that  was  a  nice 
trick  for  you  to  play  on  me!" 

Well,  the  Devil  felt  lonely  not  having  a  wife  about 
the  house,  so  in  a  few  days  he  decided  to  go  off  wooing 
for  a  new  one. 

"And,  Erkki,"  he  said,  "I  expect  you  to  keep  busy 
while  I'm  gone.  Here's  a  keg  of  red  paint.  Now  get 
to  work  and  have  the  house  all  blazing  red  by  the  time 
I  get  back." 

"All  blazing  red,"  Erkki  repeated.  "Very  well,  mas- 
ter, trust  me  to  have  it  all  blazing  red  by  the  time  you 
get  back  I" 

As  soon  as  the  Devil  was  gone,  Erkki  set  the  house 
a-fire  and  in  a  short  time  the  whole  sky  was  lighted  up 
with  the  red  glow  of  the  flames.  In  great  fright  the 
Devil  hurried  back  and  got  there  in  time  to  see  the 
house  one  mass  of  fire. 

"You  see,  master,"  Erkki  said,  "I've  done  as  you 
told  me.  It  looks  very  pretty,  doesn't  it?  all  blazing 
red!" 

The  Devil  almost  choked  with  rage. 

"You — you — "  he  began,  but  Erkki  restrained  him 
by  saying: 

"There  now,  master,  you're  not  going  to  lose  your 


Trom  the  hones  of  the  cattle  he  laid  three  bridges 


THE  DEVIL'S  HIDE  185 

temper  over  a  little  thing  like  a  house  a-fire,  are  you? 
Remember  our  bargain!" 

The  Devil  swallowed  hard  and  said: 

"N — no,  I'm  not  going  to  lose  my  temper,  but  I 
must  say,  Erkki,  that  I'm  very  much  annoyed  with 
you! 

The  next  day  the  Devil  wanted  to  go  a-wooing  again 
and  before  he  started  he  said  to  Erkki: 

"Now,  no  nonsense  this  time!  While  I'm  gone 
you're  to  build  three  bridges  over  the  lake,  but  they're 
not  to  be  built  of  wood  or  stone  or  iron  or  earth.  Do 
you  understand?" 

Erkki  pretended  to  be  frightened. 

"That's  a  pretty  hard  task  you've  given  me,  master!" 

"Hard  or  easy,  see  that  you  get  it  done!"  the  Devil 
said. 

Erkki  waited  until  the  Devil  was  gone,  then  he  went 
out  to  the  field  and  slaughtered  all  the  Devil's  cattle. 
From  the  bones  of  the  cattle  he  laid  three  bridges  across 
the  lake,  using  the  skulls  for  one  bridge,  the  ribs  for 
another,  and  the  legs  and  the  hoofs  for  the  third.  Then 
when  the  Devil  got  back,  Erkki  met  him  and  pointing 
to  the  bridges  said: 

"See,  master,  there  they  are,  three  bridges  put  to- 
gether without  stick,  stone,  iron,  or  bit  of  earth!" 


186  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

When  the  Devil  found  out  that  all  his  cattle  had 
been  slaughtered  to  give  bones  for  the  bridges,  he  was 
ready  to  kill  Erkki,  but  Erkki  quieted  him  by  isaying: 

"There  now,  master,  you're  not  going  to  lose  your 
temper  over  a  little  thing  like  the  slaughter  of  a  few 
cattle,  are  you?    Remember  our  bargam!" 

So  again  the  Devil  had  to  swallow  his  anger. 

*'No,"  he  said,  "I'm  not  going  to  lose  my  temper  ex- 
actly but  I  just  want  to  tell  you,  Erkki,  that  I  don't 
think  you're  behaving  well !" 

The  Devil's  wooing  was  successful  and  pretty  soon 
he  brought  home  &  new  wife.  The  new  wife  didn't  like 
having  Erkki  about,  so  the  Devil  promised  her  he'd 
kill  the  boy. 

"I'll  do  it  to-night,"  he  said,  "when  he's  asleep." 

Erkki  overheard  this  and  that  night  he  put  the  churn 
in  his  bed  under  the  covers,  and  where  his  head  ordi- 
narily would  be  he  put  a  big  round  stone.  Then  he 
himself  curled  up  on  the  stove  and  went  comfortably 
to  sleep. 

During  the  night  the  Devil  took  his  great  sword  from 
the  wall  and  went  over  to  Erkki's  bed.  His  first  blow 
hit  the  round  stone  and  nicked  the  sword.  His  second 
blow  struck  sparks. 


THE  DEVIL'S  HIDE  187 

"Mercy  me  I"  the  Devil  thought,  "he's  got  a  mighty 
hard  head!    I  better  strike  lower!" 

With  the  third  stroke  he  hit  the  churn  a  mighty  blow. 
The  hoops  flew  apart  and  the  churn  collapsed. 

The  Devil  went  chuckling  back  to  bed. 

"Ha!"  he  said  boastfully  to  his  wife,  "I  got  him  that 
time!" 

But  the  next  morning  when  he  woke  up  he  didn't 
feel  like  laughing  for  there  was  Erkki  as  lively  as  ever 
and  pretending  that  nothing  had  happened. 

"What!"  cried  the  Devil  in  amazement,  "didn't  you 
feel  anything  strike  you  last  night  while  you  were 
asleep  ?" 

"Oh,  I  did  feel  a  few  mosquitoes  brushing  my  cheek," 
Erkki  said.    "Nothing  else." 

"Steel  doesn't  touch  him!"  the  Devil  said  to  his  wife. 
"I  think  I'll  try  fire  on  him." 

So  that  night  the  Devil  told  Erkki  to  sleep  in  the 
threshing  barn.  Erkki  carried  his  cot  down  to  the 
threshing  floor  and  then  when  it  was  dark  he  shifted 
it  into  the  hay  barn  where  he  slept  comfortably  all  night. 

During  the  night  the  Devil  set  fire  to  the  threshing 
barn.  In  the  early  dawn  Erkki  carried  his  cot  back 
to  the  place  of  the  threshing  barn  and  in  the  morning 


188  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

when  the  Devil  came  out  the  first  thing  he  saw  was 
Erkki  unharmed  and  peacefully  sleeping  among  the 
smoking  ruins. 

"Mercy  me,  Erkki!"  he  shouted,  shaking  him  awake, 
"have  you  been  asleep  all  night?" 

Erkki  sat  up  and  yawned. 

"Yes,  I've  had  a  fine  night's  sleep.  But  I  did  feel 
a  little  chilly." 

"Chilly!"  the  Devil  gasped. 

After  that  the  Devil's  one  thought  was  to  get  rid  of 
Erkki. 

"That  boy*s  getting  on  my  nerves!"  he  told  his  wife. 
"I  just  can't  stand  him  much  longer!  What  are  we 
going  to  do  about  him?" 

They  discussed  one  plan  after  another  and  at  last 
decided  that  the  only  way  they'd  ever  get  rid  of  him 
would  be  to  move  away  and  leave  him  behind. 

"I'll  send  him  out  to  the  forest  to  chop  wood  all 
day,"  the  Devil  said,  "and  while  he's  gone  we'll  row 
ourselves  and  all  our  belongings  out  to  an  island  and 
when  he  comes  back  he  won't  know  where  we've 
gone." 

Erkki  overheard  this  plan  and  the  next  day  when 
they  were  sure  he  was  safely  at  work  in  the  forest  he 
slipped  back  and  hid  himself  in  the  bedclothes. 


THE  DEVIL'S  HIDE  189 

Well,  when  they  got  to  the  island  and  began  unpack- 
ing their  things  there  was  Erkki  in  the  bedclothes! 

The  Devil's  new  wife  complained  bitterly. 

"If  you  really  loved  me,"  she  said,  "you'd  cut  off  that 
boy's  head!" 

"But  I've  tried  to  cut  it  off!"  the  Devil  declared, 
"and  I  never  can  do  it!  Plague  take  such  a  boy!  I've 
always  known  the  Finns  were  an  obstinate  lot  but  I 
must  say  I've  never  met  one  as  bad  as  Erkki!  He's  too 
much  for  me!" 

But  the  Devil's  wife  kept  on  complaining  until  at 
last  the  Devil  promised  that  he  would  try  once  again 
to  cut  off  Erkki's  head. 

"Very  well,"  his  wife  said,  "to-night  when  he's  asleep 
I'll  wake  you." 

Well,  what  with  the  moving  and  everything  the  wife 
herself  was  tired  and  as  soon  as  she  went  to  bed  she 
fell  asleep.  That  gave  Erkki  just  the  very  chance  he 
needed  to  try  on  the  new  wife  the  trick  he  had  played 
on  the  old  one.  Without  waking  her  he  carried  her  to 
his  bed  and  then  laid  himself  dovm  in  her  place  beside 
the  Devil.  Then  he  waked  up  the  Devil  and  reminded 
him  that  he  had  promised  to  cut  off  Erkki's  head. 

The  poor  old  Devil  got  up  and  went  over  to  Erkki's 
bed  and  of  course  cut  off  the  head  of  his  new  wife. 


190  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

The  next  morning  when  he  had  found  out  what  he 
had  done,  he  was  perfectly  furious. 

"You  get  right  out  of  here,  Erkki!"  he  roared.  "I 
never  want  to  see  you  again!" 

"There  now,  master,"  Erkki  said,  "you're  not  going 
to  lose  your  temper  over  a  little  thing  like  a  dead  wife, 
are  you?" 

"I  am  so  going  to  lose  my  temper!"  the  Devil 
shouted.  "And  what's  more  it  isn't  a  little  thing!  I 
liked  this  wife,  I  did,  and  I  don't  know  where  I'll  get 
another  one  I  like  as  well!  So  you  just  clear  out  of 
here  and  be  quick  about  it,  too!" 

"Very  well,  master,"  Erkki  said,  "I'll  go  but  not  until 
you  pay  me  what  j^ou  owe  me." 

"What  I  owe  you !"  bellowed  the  Devil.  "What  about 
all  you  owe  me  for  my  house  and  my  cattle  and  my  old 
wife  and  my  dear  new  wife  and  everything!" 

"You've  lost  your  temper,"  Erkki  said,  "and  now 
you've  got  to  pay  me  a  patch  of  your  hide  big  enough 
to  sole  a  pair  of  boots.    That  was  our  bargain!" 

The  Devil  roared  and  blustered  but  Erkki  was  firm. 
He  wouldn't  budge  a  step  until  the  Devil  had  allowed 
him  to  slit  a  great  patch  of  hide  off  his  back. 

That  piece  of  the  Devil's  hide  made  the  finest  soles 
that  a  pair  of  boots  ever  had.    It  wore  for  years  and 


THE  DEVIL'S  HIDE  191 

years  and  years.  In  fact  Erkki  is  still  tramping  around 
on  those  same  soles.  The  fame  of  them  has  spread  over 
all  the  land  and  it  has  got  so  that  now  people  stop 
Erkki  on  the  highway  to  look  at  his  wonderful  boots 
soled  with  the  Devil's  hide.  Travelers  from  foreign 
countries  are  deeply  interested  when  they  hear  about 
the  boots  and  when  they  meet  Erkki  they  question  him 
closely. 

"Tell  us,"  they  beg  him,  "how  did  you  get  the  Devil's 
hide  in  the  first  place?" 

Erkki  always  laughs  and  makes  the  same  answer: 

"I  got  it  by  not  losing  my  temper!" 

As  for  the  Devil,  he's  never  again  made  a  bargain  like 
that  with  a  Finn! 


THE  MYSTERIOUS  SERVANT 


The  Story  of  a  Ycmng  Man  Who  Respected 
the  Dead 


THE  MYSTERIOUS  SERVANT 

There  was  once  a  rich  merchant 
who  had  an  only  son.  As  he  lay  dying, 
he  said: 

"Matti,  my  boy,  my  end  is  approach- 
ing and  there  are  two  things  I  want  to 
say  to  you:  The  first  is  that  I  am 
leaving  you  all  my  wealth.  If  you  are  careful  you  will 
have  enough  to  suffice  you  for  life.  The  second  thing  I 
have  to  say  is  to  beg  you  never  to  leave  this,  your  native 
village.  At  your  birth  there  was  a  prophecy  which  de- 
clared that  if  ever  you  left  this  village  you  would  have 
to  marry  a  woman  with  horns.  Now  that  I  have  warned 
you  in  time  it  will  be  your  own  fault  if  ever  you  have 
to  meet  this  fate." 

The  merchant  died  and  Matti  was  left  alone.  He 
had  never  before  wanted  to  travel  but  now  that  he 
knew  of  the  fate  which  would  overtake  him  if  he  did, 
he  couldn't  bear  the  thought  of  remaining  forever  a 
prisoner  in  his  native  village. 

195 


196  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

"What  is  the  use  of  riches,"  he  asked  himself,  "if  one 
can't  travel  over  the  broad  world  and  see  wonderful 
sights?  Besides,  if  it's  my  fate  to  marry  a  horned 
woman,  I  don't  see  why  sitting  quietly  at  home  is  going 
to  save  me.  No!  I'm  going  to  take  my  chances  like 
a  man  and  come  and  go  as  I  like!" 

So  he  gathered  his  riches  together,  closed  the  old 
house  where  he  had  been  born,  and  started  out  into  the 
bright  world.  He  traveled  many  days,  meeting  strange 
peoples  and  seeing  strange  sights.  At  last  he  settled 
down  in  a  large  city  and  became  a  merchant  like  his 
father. 

One  afternoon  as  he  was  out  walking,  he  saw  a 
crowd  of  men  dragging  the  body  of  a  dead  man  in  the 
gutter.  They  were  kicking  and  abusing  the  dead  body 
and  calling  it  evil  names. 

Matti  stopped  them. 

"What  is  this  you  are  doing?"  he  demanded.  "Don't 
you  know  that  disrespect  to  the  dead  is  disrespect  to 
God?  Give  over  abusing  this  poor  dead  body  and 
bury  it  decently  or  God  will  punish  you!" 

"Let  us  alone!"  the  men  cried.  "He  deserves  the 
abuse  we  are  giving  him!  When  he  was  alive  he  bor- 
rowed money  from  us  all  and  then  he  died  without 
repaying  us.    Are  we  to  have  no  satisfaction  at  all?'* 


THE  MYSTERIOUS  SERVANT  197 

With  that  they  resumed  their  abuse  of  the  dead  body. 

"Wait!"  Matti  cried.  "Tell  me  what  the  dead  man 
owed  you  and  I  will  pay  it!" 

"He  owed  me  ten  ducats !"  said  one. 

"And  me  a  hundred!"  shouted  another. 

"And  me  five  hundred!" 

"And  me  a  thousand!" 

"Come  all  of  you  to  my  house,"  Matti  said,  "and  I 
will  pay  you,  but  only  on  condition  that  first  you  hand 
over  the  body  to  me  and  help  me  give  it  a  decent  burial." 

The  men  agreed.  They  helped  Matti  bury  the  dead 
man  and  then  went  home  with  him. 

Each  told  Matti  the  amount  the  dead  man  owed  him 
and,  true  to  his  promise,  Matti  paid  them  all. 

When  he  had  paid  the  last  man  he  found  that  he 
had  nothing  left  for  himself  but  nine  silver  kopeks.  The 
dead  man's  debts  had  exhausted  all  the  wealth  his  father 
had  left  him. 

"No  matter!"  Matti  thought  to  himself.  "My  riches 
would  have  done  me  no  good  if  I  had  stood  by  and 
allowed  a  poor  dead  man  to  be  abused.  What  if  I 
have  nothing  left?  I'm  young  and  strong  and  I  can 
go  out  into  the  world  and  make  my  liveHhood  somehow. 
I'll  go  home  and  have  one  last  look  at  my  native  village 
and  then  begin  life  anew." 


198  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

So,  dressed  in  shabby  old  clothes  with  nothing  in 
his  pockets  but  the  nine  silver  kopeks,  Matti  left  the 
city  where  people  were  beginning  to  know  him  as  a 
merchant  and  started  back  to  his  native  village.  He 
was  soon  met  by  a  man  who  addressed  him  respectfully 
and  asked  to  be  engaged  as  his  servant. 

"My  servant!"  Matti  repeated  with  a  laugh.  "My 
dear  fellow,  I'm  too  poor  to  have  a  servant!  All  I  have 
in  the  world  are  nine  silver  kopeks!" 

"No  matter,  master,"  the  man  said.  "Take  me  any- 
how. I  will  serve  you  well  and  I  promise  you  will  not 
regret  our  bargain." 

So  Matti  agreed  and  they  walked  on  together.  The 
sun  was  hot  and  by  midafternoon  Matti  was  feeling 
faint  with  hunger  and  fatigue. 

"Master,"  the  Servant  said,  "I  will  run  ahead  to  the 
next  village  and  order  the  landlord  at  the  inn  to  prepare 
you  a  fine  dinner.  Do  you  come  along  slowly  and  by 
the  time  you  arrive  the  dinner  will  be  ready." 

"But  remember,"  Mattie  warned  him,  "I  have  no 
money  to  pay  for  a  fine  dinner!" 

"Trust  me!"  the  Servant  said  and  off  he  hurried. 

At  the  next  village  he  hunted  out  the  best  inn  and 
ordered  the  landlord  to  prepare  his  finest  dinner  without 
delay.    He  was  so  particular  that  everything  should  be 


THE  MYSTERIOUS  SERVANT  199 

the  best  that  the  landlord  supposed  his  master  must  be 
some  great  lord. 

When  Matti  arrived  on  foot,  tired  and  travel-stained 
and  shabby,  the  landlord  was  amazed. 

"It's  fine  lords  we  have  nowadays!"  he  muttered 
scornfully,  and  he  wished  he  had  not  been  in  such 
haste  to  cook  the  best  food  in  the  house.  But  it  was 
cooked  and  ready  to  serve  and  so,  with  an  ill  grace, 
he  served  it. 

Matti  and  his  man  ate  their  fill  of  good  cabbage 
soup  and  fish  and  fowl  tender  and  juicy. 

It  quite  enraged  the  landlord  to  see  poor  men  with 
such  good  appetites. 

"They  eat  as  if  their  pockets  were  lined  with  gold!" 
he  muttered  angrily.  "Well,  let  them  eat  while  they 
can  for  they'll  lose  their  appetites  once  they  see  the  reck- 
oning!" 

When  they  finished  eating,  they  rested  and  then  called 
for  the  reckoning.  It  was  much  more  than  it  should 
have  been  but  neither  Matti  nor  the  Servant  objected. 

"Like  a  good  fellow,"  the  Servant  said,  "will  you 
please  to  lend  me  your  half  peck  measure." 

"Like  a  good  fellow,  indeed!"  the  landlord  muttered 
to  himself.  "Who  are  you  to  call  me  a  good  fellow  I'd 
like  to  know!" 


200  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

Nevertheless  he  went  out  and  got  the  measure. 

"Now,  master,"  the  Servant  said,  "give  me  three  of 
your  nine  silver  kopeks." 

The  Servant  threw  the  three  silver  kopeks  into  the 
measure,  shook  the  measure  three  times  and  lo!  it  was 
filled  to  the  brim  with  silver  kopeks!  The  Servant 
counted  out  the  amount  of  the  reckoning  and  handed  the 
rest  of  the  money  to  his  master.  Then  he  and  Matti 
went  on  their  way  leaving  the  landlord  gaping  after 
them  with  open  mouth. 

Day  after  day  the  Servant  paid  the  reckoning  in  the 
same  way  at  the  various  inns  where  they  stopped  until 
they  reached  at  last  Matti's  native  village  and  the  old 
house  that  still  belonged  to  him. 

They  settled  themselves  there  and  one  day  the  Serv- 
ant said  to  Matti : 

"Now,  master,  you  know  your  fate:  for  having  left 
your  native  village  you  know  you  are  destined  to  marry 
a  horned  woman.  You  might  as  well  do  it  at  once  for 
you'll  have  to  do  it  sooner  or  later." 

"That  is  true,"  Mattie  said,  "and  if  I  knew  the  where- 
abouts of  the  horned  woman  who  is  my  fate  I  should 
marry  her  at  once." 

"In  that  case  we'll  lose  no  more  time,"  the  Servant 
said.    "The  King  has  three  daughters  all  of  whom  are 


THE  MYSTERIOUS  SERVANT  201 

horned.  This  isn't  generally  known  but  it  is  true.  Let 
us  go  "to  the  palace  and  present  your  suit.  The  King 
will  give  friendly  ear  for  there  are  not  many  suitors  for 
daughters  with  horns.  He  will  try  to  make  you  take 
the  oldest  who  has  big  horns  and  a  hoarse  voice.  When 
she  sees  you,  she'll  whisper:  'Take  me!  Take  me!'  But 
do  you  shake  your  head  and  answer:  'No!  Not  this 
one!'  Then  the  King  will  send  for  his  second  daughter. 
Her  horns  are  not  so  big  nor  is  her  voice  so  hoarse.  She, 
too,  will  whisper  you:  'Take  me!  Take  me!'  But  do 
you  again  shake  your  head  and  answer:  'No!  Not  this 
one!'  Be  firm  and  the  King  will  finally  have  to  send 
for  his  youngest  daughter.  Her  horns  are  just  soft 
little  baby  horns  and  her  voice  is  just  a  little  husky. 
Take  her  and  soon  all  will  be  well." 

So  Matti  and  the  Servant  went  to  the  palace  and  got 
audience  with  the  King. 

"My  master,  Matti,"  the  Servant  said,  address- 
ing the  King,  "is  desirous  of  marrying  a  wife  with 
horns." 

The  King  was  interested  at  once. 

"As  it  happens  I  have  a  daughter  with  horns,"  he 
said.    "I'll  have  her  come  in." 

He  sent  for  his  oldest  daughter  and  presently  she 
appeared.    Her  horns  were  long  and  thick. 


202  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

"Take  me  I  Take  me!"  she  whispered  hoarsely  as  she 
passed  Matti. 

"See  what  a  fine  girl  she  is!"  the  King  said,  "and 
what  well  grown  horns  she  has !" 

But  Matti  shook  his  head. 

"No,  Your  Majesty,  I  don't  think  I  want  to  marry 
this  one." 

"Of  course  you  must  follow  the  dictates  of  your 
heart,"  the  King  said  drily.  "However,  come  to  think 
of  it,  my  second  daughter  also  has  horns.  Maybe  you'd 
like  to  consider  her." 

So  the  second  daughter  was  called  in.  Her  horns 
were  not  so  large  as  her  sister's  nor  was  her  voice  so 
hoarse.  But  Matti,  remembering  the  Servant's  warn- 
ing, refused  her,  too.  The  King  seemed  surprised  and 
even  annoyed  that  Matti  should  refuse  his  daughters 
so  glibly,  but  when  he  found  that  Matti  was  firm 
he  said: 

"I  have  got  another  daughter,  my  youngest,  but,  if 
it's  horns  you're  looking  for,  I  don't  believe  you'll  be 
interested  in  her  at  all  since  her  horns  are  so  small  and 
soft  that  they  are  hardly  noticeable  at  all.  However, 
as  you're  here,  you  might  as  well  see  her." 

So  the  youngest  princess  was  sent  for  and  at  once 
Matti  knew  that  she  was  the  one  he  wanted  to  marry. 


'She  is  under  an  evil  enchantment  and  I  am  delivering  her!* 


THE  MYSTERIOUS  SERVANT  205 

She  wasn't  as  beautiful  as  a  princess  should  be  but 
she  was  gentle  and  modest  and  when  she  passed  Matti 
her  cheeks  flushed  and  she  wasn't  able  to  whisper  any- 
thing. But  Matti  felt  very  sure  that  if  she  had 
whispered  her  voice  would  have  been  scarcely 
husky. 

"This,  O  King,"  he  said,  "is  my  choice!  Let  me 
marry  your  youngest  daughter  and  I  promise  to  be  a 
faithful  husband  to  her." 

The  King  would  have  preferred  to  marry  off  the 
older  princesses  first  for  their  horns  were  getting  to  be 
very  troublesome,  but  as  they  all  had  horns  he  was 
afraid  to  refuse  Matti's  offer. 

So  after  a  little  talk  he  gave  Matti  the  youngest 
and  in  a  short  time  they  were  married. 

After  the  wedding  feast  the  King  led  the  young 
couple  to  the  bridal  chamber  and  closed  the  door. 

Matti's  Servant  meantime  had  gone  out  to  the  woods 
and  cut  some  stout  switches  of  birch.  When  the  palace 
was  quiet  and  all  were  asleep,  he  crept  softly  into  the 
bridal  chamber  and,  dragging  the  bride  out  of  bed,  he 
beat  her  unmercifully. 

"Oh!     Oh!"  she  cried  in  pain. 

Her  screams  woke  Matti  and  in  fright  he  jumped 
out  of  bed  and  tried  to  stop  the  Servant. 


206  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

"Wait!"  the  Servant  said.  "She  is  under  an  evil  en- 
chantment and  I  am  delivering  her!" 

So  he  kept  on  beating  her  until  he  had  drawn  blood. 
Then  instantly  the  horns  fell  from  her  head  and  there 
she  stood  a  beautiful  young  girl  released  from  the  evil 
enchantment  that  had  disfigured  her. 

The  Servant  handed  her  over  to  her  husband  who  fell 
in  love  with  her  on  sight  and  has  loved  her  ever  since. 

"Now  farewell,  Matti,"  the  Servant  said.  "My  work 
is  done  and  you  will  need  me  no  longer.  You  have 
married  a  beautiful  princess  and  the  King  wiH  soon 
make  you  his  heir." 

With  these  words  the  Servant  disappeared  and  Matti 
was  left  alone  with  his  lovely  bride. 

And  that  was  Matti's  reward  for  having  respected 
the  dead.  God  Himself  in  the  form  of  the  Servant  had 
come  down  and  taken  care  of  him. 


FAMILIAR  FACES 


I    Mary,  Mary,  So  Contrary! 
II    Jane,  Jane,  Don't  Complain! 
Ill    Susan  Walker,  What  a  Talker! 


When  she  got  to  the  middle  of  the  stream 


MAKY,  MARY,  SO  CONTRARY! 

There  was  once  a  farmer  who  was 
married  to  the  most  contrary  wife  in 
the  world.  Her  name  was  Maya.  If 
he  expected  Maya  to  say,  "Yes,"  she 
would  always  say,  "No,"  and  if  he 
expected  her  to  say,  "No,"  she  would 
always  say,  "Yes."  If  he  said  the  soup  was  too  hot, 
Maya  would  instantly  insist  that  it  was  too  cold.  She 
would  do  nothing  that  he  wanted  her  to  do,  and  she 
always  insisted  on  doing  everything  that  he  did  not 
want  her  to  do. 

Like  most  contrary  people  Maya  was  really  very 
stupid  and  the  farmer  after  he  had  been  married  to  her 
for  a  few  years  knew  exactly  how  to  manage  her. 

For  instance  at  Christmas  one  year  he  wanted  to 
make  a  big  feast  for  his  friends  and  neighbors.  Did 
he  tell  his  wife  so?  Not  he!  Instead,  a  few  weeks 
beforehand  he  remarked  casually: 

"Christmas  is  coming  and  I  suppose  every  one  will 

209 


210  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

expect  us  to  have  fine  white  bread.  But  I  don't  think 
we  ought  ito.  It's  too  expensive.  Black  bread  is  good 
enough  for  us." 

"Black  bread,  indeed!"  cried  Maya.     "Not  at  all  I 

We're  going  to  have  white  bread  and  you  needn't  say 

any  more  about  it!     Black  bread  at  Christmas!     To 

hear  you  talk  people  would  suppose  we  are  beggars!'* 

.  The  farmer  pretended  to  be  grieved  and  he  said : 

"Well,  my  dear,  have  white  bread  if  your  heart  is 
set  on  it,  but  I  hope  you  don't  expect  to  make  any  pies." 

"Not  make  any  pies!  Just  let  me  tell  you  I  expect 
to  make  all  the  pies  I  want!" 

"Well,  now,  Maya,  if  we  have  pies  I  don't  think  we 
ought  to  have  any  wine." 

"No  wine!  I  like  that!  Of  course  we'll  have  wine 
on  Christmas!" 

The  farmer  was  much  pleased  but,  still  pretending 
to  protest,  he  said : 

"Well,  if  we  spend  money  on  wine,  we  better  not 
expect  to  buy  any  coffee." 

"What!  No  coffee  on  Christmas!  Who  ever  heard 
of  such  a  thing!     Of  course  we'll  have  coffee!" 

"Well,  I'm  not  going  to  quarrel  with  you!  Get  a 
little  coffee  if  you  like,  but  just  enough  for  you  and 
me  for  I  don't  think  we  ought  to  have  any  guests." 


MARY,  MARY,  SO  CONTRARY!  211 

"What!  No  guests  on  Christmas!  Indeed  and 
you're  wrong  if  you  think  we're  not  going  to  have  a 
houseful  of  guests!" 

The  farmer  was  overjoyed  but,  still  pretending  to 
grumble,  he  said: 

"If  you  have  the  house  full  of  people,  you  needn't 
think  I'm  going  to  sit  at  the  head  of  the  table,  for  I'm 
not!" 

"You  are,  too!"  screamed  his  wife.  "That's  exactly 
where  you  are  going  to  sit!" 

"Maya,  Maya,  don't  get  so  excited!  I  will  sit  there 
if  you  insist.  But  if  I  do  you  mustn't  expect  me  to 
pour  the  wine." 

"And  why  not?  It  would  be  a  strange  thing  if  you 
didn't  pour  the  wine  at  your  own  table !" 

"All  right,  all  right,  I'll  pour  it!  But  you  mustn't 
expect  me  to  taste  it  beforehand." 

"Of  course  you're  going  to  taste  it  beforehand!" 

This  was  exactly  what  the  farmer  wanted  his  wife 
to  say.  So  you  see  by  pretending  to  oppose  her  at  every 
turn  he  was  able  to  have  the  big  Christmas  party  that 
he  wanted  and  he  was  able  to  feast  to  his  heart's  content 
with  all  his  friends  and  relatives  and  neighbors. 

Time  went  by  and  Maya  grew  more  and  more  con- 
trary if  such  a  thing  were  possible.     Summer  came  and 


212  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

the  haymaking  season.  They  were  going  to  a  distant 
meadow  to  toss  hay  and  had  to  cross  an  angry  httle 
river  on  a  footbridge  made  of  one  slender  plank. 

The  farmer  crossed  in  safety,  then  he  called  back  to 
his  wife: 

"Walk  very  carefully,  Maya,  for  the  plank  is  not 
strong!" 

"I  will  not  walk  carefully!"  the  wife  declared. 

She  flung  herself  on  the  plank  with  all  her  weight 
and  when  she  got  to  the  middle  of  the  stream  she 
jumped  up  and  down  just  to  show  her  husband  how 
contrary  she  could  be.  Well,  the  plank  broke  with  a 
snap,  Maya  fell  into  the  water,  the  current  carried  her 
off,  and  she  was  drowned! 

Her  husband,  seeing  what  had  happened,  ran  madly 
upstream  shouting: 

"Help!     Help!" 

The  haymakers  heard  him  and  came  running  to  see 
what  was  the  matter. 

"My  wife  has  fallen  into  the  river!"  he  cried,  "and 
the  current  has  carried  her  body  away!" 

"What  ails  you?"  the  haymakers  said.  "Are  you 
mad?  If  the  current  has  carried  your  wife  away,  she's 
floating  downstream,  not  upstream!" 

"Any  other  woman  would  float  downstream,"  the 


MARY,  MARY,  SO  CONTRARY!  213 

farmer  said.     "Y^es!     But  you  know  Maya!     She's  so 

contrary  she'd  float  upstream  every  time!" 

"That's  true,"  the  haymakers  said,  "she  would!" 
So  all  afternoon  the  farmer  searched  upstream  for 

his  wife's  body  but  he  never  found  it. 

When  night  came  he  went  home  and  had  a  good 

supper  of  all  the  things  he  liked  to  eat  which  Maya 

would  never  let  him  have. 


They  were  so  busy  eating  and  drinking 


II 

JANE,  JANE,  DON'T  COMPLAIN! 

There  was  once  a  man  who  was  poor 
and  lazy  and  he  had  a  wife  who  was 
even  worse.  Her  name  was  Jenny. 
Jenny  was  so  lazy  that  it  was  an  effort 
for  her  to  lift  one  foot  after  the  other. 
And  in  addition  to  her  laziness  she  was 
an  everlasting  complainer.  "Oh!"  she  used  to  grunt 
in  the  morning,  "I  wish  we  didn't  have  to  get  up!"  and 
"Oh!"  she  used  to  groan  at  night,  "I  wish  we  didn't 
have  to  take  our  shoes  oif  before  going  to  bed!" 

One  day  when  they  were  both  out  in  the  forest  collect- 
ing faggots,  Jenny  said: 

"I  don't  see  why  we're  not  rich!  I  don't  see  why 
the  King  should  live  at  his  ease  while  we  have  to  grub 
for  everything  we  get!     I  just  hate  work!" 

Of  course  the  trouble  both  with  Jenny  and  her  hus- 
band was  not  that  they  worked  but  that  they  didn't 
work.  It  was  because  they  didn't  that  they  had  so 
much  time  to  think  about  it. 

215 


216  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

"Drat  it  all!"  Jenny  went  on,  whining,  "Adam  and 
Eve  are  to  blame  for  all  our  misfortunes!  If  they 
hadn't  disobeyed  God's  commandment  and  eaten  that 
apple,  we'd  all  be  living  in  the  Garden  of  Eden  to  this 
day!  It's  all  their  fault  that  we  have  to  moil  and  toil 
and  hurry  and  scurry!" 

"Yes,"  the  man  agreed,  "it  is,  especially  Eve's.  Of 
course  Adam  was  to  blame,  too,  for  he  should  have 
controlled  his  wife  better.  But  Eve  was  the  more  to 
blame.  If  I  had  been  Adam  I  shouldn't  have  allowed 
her  to  touch  the  apple  in  the  first  place." 

Now  it  happened  that  the  King  who  was  out  hunting 
that  day  overheard  this  conversation. 

"Ha!"  he  thought  to  himself,  "I've  a  great  mind  to 
teach  these  two  people  a  lesson!" 

He  pushed  aside  the  bushes  that  had  hidden  him  from 
them  and  said: 

"Good  day  to  you  both!  I  have  just  heard  your 
complaints  and  I,  too,  think  it  very  hard  that  you  should 
be  poor  while  others  are  rich.  I  tell  you  what  I'll  do: 
I'll  take  you  both  home  with  me  to  the  castle  and  main- 
tain you  in  ease  and  luxury  provided  you  obey  me  in 
just  one  thing." 

Jenny  and  her  husband  agreed  to  this  eagerly  and 
just  as  they  were  the  King  took  them  home  with  him  to 


JANE,  JANE,  DON'T  COMPLAIN!  217 

the  castle.  He  lodged  them  in  a  room  with  golden 
furnitm-e,  he  gave  them  fine  clothes  to  wear,  and  for 
food  he  had  them  served  the  choicest  delicacies  in  the 
world. 

As  they  sat  eating  their  first  royal  meal,  he  came  in 
to  them  carrying  in  his  hands  a  covered  dish  of  silver. 
He  put  the  dish  down  in  the  center  of  the  table. 

"Now,  my  friends,"  he  said,  "I  promised  to  maintain 
you  in  this  ease  and  luxury  provided  you  obeyed  me  in 
one  thing.  You  see  this  silver  dish.  I  forbid  you  ever 
to  lift  the  cover.  If  you  disobey  me,  that  moment  I 
shall  take  from  you  your  fine  clothes  and  send  you  back 
to  your  poverty  and  misery." 

With  that  the  King  left  them  and  they  stuffed  them- 
selves to  their  hearts'  content  with  the  delicate  foods 
set  before  them. 

They  were  so  busy,  eating  and  drinking^and  admiring 
themselves  in  their  fine  clothes,  that  for  the  first  day 
they  didn't  give  the  covered  dish  a.  thought.  The 
second  day  the  wife  noticed  it  and  said : 

"That's  the  thing  we're  not  to  touch.  Well,  for  my 
part  I  don't  want  to  touch  it.  I  don't  want  to  do  any- 
thing but  eat  and  sleep  and  try  on  my  pretty  new 
clothes." 

By  the  third  day  they  had  eaten  so  much  and  so 


218  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

steadily  that  they  were  no  longer  hungry  and  when  they 
lay  down  on  the  big  soft  bed  they  no  longer  fell  instantly 
asleep. 

"Dear  me,"  Jenny  began  whining,  "I  don't  know 
what's  the  matter  with  this  food!  It  doesn't  taste  as 
good  as  it  used  to!  Maybe  the  cook  has  grown  care- 
less! I  think  we  ought  to  complain  to  the  King.  I'm 
beginning  to  feel  very  uncomfortable  and  I  haven't 
any  appetite  at  all!  I  wonder  what's  in  that  covered 
dish.  Perhaps  it's  something  to  eat,  something  perfect- 
ly delicious!  I've  half  a  mind  to  lift  the  cover  and 
see. 

"Now  just  you  leave  that  silver  dish  alone!"  the  man 
growled.  He,  too,  had  been  eating  too  much  and  was 
feeling  peevish.  "Don't  you  remember  what  the  King 
said?" 

"Pooh  I"  cried  Jenny.  "What  do  I  care  what  the 
King  said!  I  think  he  was  just  poking  fun  at  us  tell- 
ing us  we  mustn't  lift  the  cover  of  that  silver  dish. 
After  all  a  dish  is  a  dish  and  it's  no  crime  to  lift  a 
cover  even  if  it  is  made  of  silver!" 

With  that  Jenny  jumped  up  and  before  her  husband 
could  stop  her  she  lifted  the  forbidden  cover.  Instantly 
a  little  white  mouse  hopped  out  of  the  silver  dish  and 
scurried  away. 


JANE,  JANE,  DON'T  COMPLAIN!  219 

"Oh!"  Jenny  screamed,  dropping  the  cover  with  a 
great  clatter. 

The  King  who  was  in  an  adjoining  chamber  heard 
the  noise  and  came  in. 

"So!"  he  said,  "you  have  done  the  one  thing  that  I 
told  you  not  to  do!  You  haven't  been  here  three  days 
and  although  you've  had  everything  that  heart  could 
wish  for  yet  you  couldn't  obey  me  in  this  one  little 
matter!" 

"Your  Majesty,"  the  man  said,  "it  was  my  wife  who 
did  it,  not  I." 

"No  matter,"  the  King  said,  "you,  too,  are  to  blame. 
If  you  had  restrained  her  it  wouldn't  have  happened." 

Then  he  called  his  servants  and  had  them  strip  off 
the  fine  clothes  and  dress  the  couple  again  in  their  old 
rags. 

"Now,"  he  said  as  he  drove  them  from  the  castle  gates, 
"never  again  blame  Adam  and  Eve  for  the  misfortunes 
which  you  bring  upon  yourselves!" 


They  carried  home  the  treasure  on  their  hacks 


Ill 


SUSAN  WALKER,  WHAT  A  TALKER! 


There  was  once  a  man  whose  wife 
was  an  awful  talker.  Her  name  was 
Susanna.  No  matter  how  important  it 
was  to  keep  a  matter  quiet,  if  Susanna 
knew  about  it,  she  just  had  to  talk. 
She  was  always  running  to  the  neigh- 
bors and  exclaiming: 

"Oh,  m}^  dear,  have  you  heard  so  and  so?" 
Her  husband  was  an  industrious   fellow.     He  set 
nets  in  the  river,  he  snared  birds  in  the  forest,  and  he 
worked  at  any  odd  jobs  that  came  along. 

It  happened  one  day  while  he  was  out  in  the  forest 
that  he  found  a  buried  treasure. 

"Ah!"  he  thought  to  himself,  "now  I  can  buy  a  little 
farm  that  will  keep  me  and  Susanna  comfortable  the 
rest  of  our  days!" 

He  started  home  at  once  to  tell  his  wife  the  good 
fortune  that  had  befallen  them.  He  had  almost  reached 
home  when  he  stopped,  suddenly  realizing  that  the  first 
thing  Susanna  would  do  would  be  to  spread  the  news 

221 


222  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

broadcast  throughout  the  village.  Then  of  course  the 
government  would  get  wind  of  his  find  and  presently 
officers  of  the  law  would  come  and  confiscate  the  entire 
treasure. 

"That  would  never  do,"  he  told  himself.  "I  must 
think  out  some  plan  whereby  I  can  let  Susanna  know 
about  the  treasure  without  risking  the  loss  of  it." 

He  puzzled  over  the  matter  for  a  long  time  and  at 
last  hit  upon  something  that  he  thought  might  prove 
successful. 

In  his  nets  that  day  he  had  caught  a  pike  and  in  one 
of  his  snares  he  had  found  a  grouse.  He  went  back 
now  to  the  river  and  put  the  bird  in  the  fishnet,  and  then 
he  went  to  the  woods  and  put  the  fish  in  the  snare. 
This  done  he  went  home  and  at  once  told  Susanna 
about  the  buried  treasure  which  was  going  to  be  the 
means  of  making  their  old  age  comfortable. 

She  flew  at  once  into  great  excitement. 

"La!  Lai  A  buried  treasure!  Whoever  heard  of 
such  luck!  Oh,  how  all  the  neighbors  will  envy  us 
when  they  hear  about  it!  I  can  hardly  wait  to  tell 
them!" 

"But  they  mustn't  hear!"  her  husband  told  her. 
"You  don't  want  the  officers  of  the  law  coming  and 
taking  it  all  from  us,  do  you?" 


SUSAN  WALKER,  WHAT  A  TALKER!  223 

"That  would  be  a  nice  how-do-you-do!"  Susanna 
cried.  "What!  Come  and  take  our  treasure  that  you 
found  yourself  in  the  forest?" 

"Yes,  my  dear,  that's  exactly  what  they'd  do  if  once 
they  heard  about  it." 

"Well,  you  can  depend  upon  it,  my  dear  husband, 
not  a  soul  will  hear  about  it  from  me!" 

She  shook  her  head  vigorously  and  repeated  this  many 
times  and  then  tried  to  slip  out  of  the  house  on  some 
such  excuse  as  needing  to  borrow  a  cup  of  meal  from  a 
neighbor. 

But  the  man  insisted  on  her  staying  beside  him  all 
evening.  She  kept  remembering  little  errands  that 
would  take  her  to  the  houses  of  various  neighbors  but 
each  time  she  attempted  to  leave  her  husband  called 
her  back.     At  last  he  got  her  safely  to  bed. 

Early  next  morning,  before  she  had  been  able  to  talk 
to  any  one,  he  said: 

"Now,  my  dear,  come  with  me  to  the  forest  and  help 
me  to  carry  home  the  treasure.  On  the  way  we'd  better 
see  if  we've  got  anything  in  the  nets  and  the  snares.'* 

They  went  first  to  the  river  and  when  the  man  had 
lifted  his  nets  they  found  a  grouse  which  he  made 
Susanna  reach  over  and  get.  Then  in  the  woods  he  let 
her  make  the  discovery  of  a  pike  in  one  of  the  snares. 


224  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

She  was  all  the  while  so  excited  about  the  treasure  that 
she  hadn't  mind  enough  left  to  be  surprised  that  a  bird 
should  be  caught  in  a  fishnet  and  a  fish  in  a  birdsnare. 

Well,  they  found  the  precious  treasure  and  they 
stowed  it  away  in  two  sacks  which  they  carried  home 
on  their  backs.  On  the  way  home  Susanna  could 
scarcely  refrain  from  calling  out  to  every  passerby 
some  hint  of  their  good  fortune.  As  they  passed  the 
house  of  Helmi,  her  dearest  crony,  she  said  to  her  hus- 
band: 

"My  dear,  won't  you  just  wait  here  a  moment  while  I 
run  in  and  get  a  drink  of  water?" 

"You  mustn't  go  in  just  now,"  her  husband  said. 
"Don't  you  hear  what's  going  on?" 

There  was  the  sound  of  two  dogs  fighting  and  yelping 
in  the  kitchen. 

"Helmi  is  getting  a  beating  from  her  husband,"  the 
man  said.  "Can't  you  hear  her  crying?  This  is  no 
time  for  an  outsider  to  appear." 

All  that  day  and  all  that  night  he  kept  so  close  to 
Susanna  that  the  poor  woman  wasn't  able  to  exchange 
a  word  with  another  human  being. 

Early  next  morning  she  escaped  him  and  ran  as  fast 
as  her  legs  could  carry  her  to  Helmi's  house. 

"My  dear,"  she  began  all  out  of  breath,  "such  a 


SUSAN  WALKER,  WHAT  A  TALKER!  225 

wonderful  treasure  as  we've  found  but  I've  sworn  never 
to  whisper  a  word  about  it  for  fear  the  government 
should  hear  of  it!  I  should  have  stopped  and  told  you 
yesterday  but  your  husband  was  beating  you — " 

"What's  that?"  cried  Helmi's  husband  who  came  in 
just  then  and  caught  the  last  words. 

"It's  the  treasure  we've  found!" 

"The  treasure?  What  are  you  talking  about? 
Begin  at  the  beginning." 

"Well,  my  old  man  and  me  we  started  out  yesterday 
morning  and  first  we  went  to  the  river  to  see  if  there 
was  anything  in  the  nets.     We  found  a  grouse — " 

"A  grouse?" 

"Yes,  we  found  a  grouse  in  the  nets.  Then  we  went 
to  the  forest  and  looked  in  the  snares  and  in  one  we 
found  a  pike." 

"A  pike!" 

"Yes.  Then  we  went  and  dug  up  the  treasure  and 
put  it  in  two  sacks  and  you  could  have  seen  us  yourself 
carrying  it  home  on  our  backs  but  you  were  too  busy 
beating  poor  Helmi." 

"I  beating  poor  Helmi!  Ho!  Ho!  Ho!  That  is  a 
good  one!  I  was  busy  beating  my  wife  while  you  were 
getting  birds  out  of  fishnets  and  fish  out  of  snares  I  Ho ! 
Ho!    Hoi" 


226  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

"It's  so!"  Susanna  cried.  "It  is  so!  You  were  so 
beating  Helmi!  And  you  sounded  just  like  two  dogs 
fighting!     And  we  did  so  carry  home  the  treasure!" 

But  Hehni's  husband  only  laughed  the  harder.  That 
afternoon  when  he  went  to  the  Inn  he  was  still  laughing 
and  when  the  men  there  asked  him  what  was  so  funny 
he  told  them  Susanna's  story  and  soon  the  whole  village 
was  laughing  at  the  foolish  woman  who  found  birds  in 
fishnets  and  fish  in  snares  and  who  thought  that  two 
yelping  dogs  were  Helmi  and  her  husband  fighting. 

As  for  the  treasure  that  wasn't  taken  any  more 
seriously  than  the  grouse  and  the  pike. 

"It  must  have  been  two  sacks  of  turnips  they  carried 
home  on  their  backs!"  the  village  people  decided. 

The  husband  of  course  said  nothing  and  Susanna, 
too,  was  soon  forced  to  keep  quiet  for  now  whenever 
she  tried  to  explain  people  only  laughed. 


MIKKO,  THE  FOX 


A  Nursery  Epic  in  Siccteen  Adventures 


Osmo,  the  Bear,  grunted  out: 
"Huh!    That's  easi/!     Well 
eat  the  smallest  of  us  nextP* 


ADVENTURE  I 

THE  ANIMALS  TAKE  A  BITE 

A  Farmer  once  dug  a  pit  to  trap  the 
Animals    that    had    been    stealing    his 
grain.     By  a  strange  chance  he  fell  into 
his  own  pit  and  was  killed. 
The  Ermine  found  him  there. 
"H'm,"  thought  the  Ermine,  "that's 
the  Farmer  himself,  isn't  it?    I  better  take  him  before 
any  one  else  gets  him." 

So  the  Ermine  dragged  the  Farmer's  body  out  of  the 
pit,  put  it  on  a  sledge,  and  then,  after  taking  a  bite, 
began  hauling  it  away. 

220 


230  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

Presently  he  met  the  Squirrel  who  clapped  his  hands 
in  surprise. 

"God  bless  you,  brother!"  the  Squirrel  exclaimed, 
"what's  that  you're  hauHng  behind  you?" 

"It's  the  Farmer  himself,"  the  Ermine  explained. 
"He  fell  into  the  pit  that  he  had  digged  for  us  poor 
forest  folk  and  serve  him  right,  too!  Take  a  bite  of 
him  and  then  come  along  and  help  me  pull." 

"Very  well,"  the  Squirrel  said. 

He  took  a  bite  of  the  Farmer  and  then  marched  along 
beside  the  Ermine,  helping  him  to  pull  the  sledge. 

Presently  they  met  Jussi,  the  Hare.  Jussi  looked  at 
then  in  amazement,  his  eyes  popping  out  of  his  head. 

"Mercy  me!"  he  cried,  "what's  that  you  two  are  haul- 
ing?" 

"It's  the  Farmer,"  the  Ermine  explained.  "He  fell 
into  the  pit  that  he  digged  for  us  poor  forest  folk  and 
serve  him  right,  too!  Take  a  bite  of  him,  Jussi..  and 
then  come  along  and  help  us  pull." 

So  Jussi,  the  Hare,  took  a  bite  of  the  Farmer  and 
then  marched  along  beside  the  Ermine  and  the  Squirrel 
helping  them  to  pull  the  sledge. 

Next  they  met  Mikko,  the  Fox. 

"Goodness  me!"  Mikko  said,  "what's  that  you  three 
are  hauling?" 


I 


THE  ANIMALS  TAKE  A  BITE  231 

The  Ermine  again  explained : 

"It's  the  Farmer.  He  fell  into  the  pit  that  he  had 
digged  for  us  poor  forest  folk  and  serve  him  right,  too! 
Take  a  bite  of  him,  Mikko,  and  then  come  along  and 
help  us  pull." 

So  Mikko,  the  Fox,  took  a  bite  and  then  marched 
along  beside  the  Ermine  and  the  Squirrel  and  the  Hare 
helping  them  to  pull  the  sledge. 

Next  they  met  Pekka,  the  Wolf. 

"Good  gracious!"  Pekka  cried,  "what's  that  you  four 
are  hauling?" 

The  Ermine  explained: 

"It's  the  Farmer.  He  fell  into  the  pit  that  he  had 
digged  for  us  poor  forest  folk  and  serve  him  right,  too! 
Take  a  bite  of  him,  Pekka,  and  then  help  us  pull." 

So  Pekka,  the  Wolf,  took  a  bite  and  then  marched 
along  beside  the  Ermine,  the  Squirrel,  the  Hare,  and 
the  Fox,  helping  them  to  pull  the  sledge. 

Next  they  met  Osmo,  the  Bear. 

"Good  heavens!"  Osmo  rumbled,  "what's  that  you 
five  are  hauling?" 

"It's  the  Farmer,"  the  Ermine  explained.  "He  fell 
into  the  pit  that  he  had  digged  for  us  poor  forest  folk 
and  serve  him  right,  too!  Take  a  bite  of  him,  Osmo, 
and  then  help  us  pull." 


232  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

So  Osmo,  the  Bear,  took  a  bite  and  then  marched 
along  beside  the  Ermine,  the  Squirrel,  the  Hare,  the 
Fox,  and  the  Wolf,  helping  them  to  pull  the  sledge. 

Well,  they  pulled  and  they  pulled  and  whenever  they 
felt  tired  or  hungry  they  stopped  and  took  a  bite  until 
the  Farmer  was  about  finished. 

Then  Pekka,  the  Wolf,  said: 

"See  here,  brothers,  we've  eaten  up  every  bit  of  the 
Farmer  except  his  beard.  What  are  we  going  to  eat 
now?" 

Osmo,  the  Bear,  grunted  out: 

"Huh!  That's  easy!  We'll  eat  the  smallest  of  us 
next!" 

He  had  no  sooner  spoken  than  the  Squirrel  ran  up  a 
tree  and  the  Ermine  slipped  under  a  stone. 

Pekka,  the  Wolf  said: 

"But  the  smallest  have  escaped!" 

Osmo,  the  Bear,  grunted  again: 

"Huh!  The  smallest  now  is  that  pop-eyed  Jussi! 
Let's—" 

At  mention  of  his  name  the  Hare  went  loping  across 
the  field  and  was  soon  at  a  safe  distance. 

Osmo,  the  Bear,  put  his  heavy  paw  on  the  Fox's 
shoulder. 


THE  ANIMALS  TAKE  A  BITE  233 

"Mikko,"  he  said,  "it's  your  turn  now  for  you're  the 
smallest  of  us  three." 

Mikko,  the  Fox,  pretended  not  to  be  at  all  afraid. 

"That's  true,"  he  said,  "I'm  the  smallest.  All  right, 
brothers,  I'm  ready.  But  before  you  eat  me  I  wish 
you'd  take  me  to  the  top  of  the  hill.  Down  here  in 
the  valley  it's  so  gloomy." 

"Very  well,"  the  others  agreed,  "we'll  go  where  you 
say.     It  is  more  cheerful  there." 

As  they  climbed  the  hill  the  Fox  whispered  to  the 
Wolf: 

"SstI  Pekka!  When  you  eat  me  whose  turn  will  it 
be  then?     Who  will  be  the  smallest  then?" 

"Mercy  me!"  the  Wolf  cried,  "it  will  be  my  turn 
then,  won't  it?" 

The  terror  of  the  thought  quite  took  his  appetite 
away. 

"See  here,  Osmo,"  he  said  to  the  Bear,  "I  don't  think 
it  would  be  right  for  us  to  eat  Mikko.  You  and  I  and 
Mikko  ought  to  be  friends  and  live  together  in  peace. 
Now  let's  take  a  vote  on  the  matter  and  we'll  do  what- 
ever the  majority  says.  I  vote  that  we  three  be  friends. 
What  do  you  say,  Mikko?" 

The  Fox  said  that  he  agreed  with  the  Wolf.     It 


234(  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

would  be  much  better  all  around  if  they  three  were 

friends. 

"Well,"  grunted  Osmo,  the  Bear,  "it's  no  use  my 
voting  for  you  two  make  a  majority.  But  I  must  say 
I'm  sorry  to  have  you  vote  this  way  for  I'm  hungry." 

So  the  three  animals,  the  Bear,  the  Wolf,  and  the 
Fox,  agreed  henceforward  to  be  friends  and  planned  to 
live  near  each  other  in  the  woods  behind  the  Farm. 


ADVENTURE  II 
THE  PARTNERS 


The  Bear  and  the  Wolf  and  the  Fox 
made  houses  quite  close  together  and 
the  Wolf  and  the  Fox  decided  to  go 
into  partnership. 

"The  first  thing  we  ought  to  do," 
said    Pekka,    the    Wolf,    "is    make    a 
clearing  in  the  forest  and  plant  some  crops." 

The  Fox  agreed  and  the  very  next  day  they  started 
out  to  work.  Each  had  a  crock  with  three  pats  of  butter 
for  his  dinner.  They  left  their  crocks  in  the  cool  water  of  a 
little  spring  in  the  forest  not  far  from  the  place  where 
they  had  decided  to  make- a  clearing. 

235 


236  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

It  was  hard  work  felling  trees  and  the  Fox,  soon 
tiring  of  it,  made  some  sort  of  excuse  to  run  off.  When 
he  came  back  he  said  to  the  Wolf : 

"Pekka,  the  folks  at  the  Farm  are  having  a  christen- 
ing and  have  sent  me  an  invitation  to  attend." 

"It's  too  bad  we're  so  busy  to-day,"  the  Wolf  said. 
"Another  day  you  might  have  gone." 

"But  I  must  go,"  the  Fox  insisted.  "They've  been 
good  neighbors  to  us  and  they'd  be  insulted  if  I  re- 
fused." 

"Very  well,"  the  Wolf  said,  "if  you  feel  that  way 
about  it  you  better  go.  But  hurry  back  for  we  have  a 
lot  to  do." 

So  the  Fox  trotted  off  but  he  got  no  farther  than 
the  spring  where  the  butter  crocks  were  cooling.  He 
took  the  Wolf's  crock  and  licked  off  the  top  layer  of 
butter.  Then  after  a  while  he  went  back  to  the 
clearing. 

"Well,  Mikko,"  the  Wolf  said,  "is  the  christening 
over?" 

"Yes,  it's  over." 

"What  did  they  name  the  child?" 

"They  named  it  Top." 

"Top?     That's  a  strange  name!" 

In  a  few  moments  the  Fox  again  ran  off  and  returned 


THE  PARTNERS  237 

with  the  announcement  that  there  was  to  be  another 
christening  at  the  Farm  and  again  they  wanted  him  to 
attend. 

"Another  christening!"  the  Wolf  exclaimed.  "How 
can  that  be?" 

"This  time  the  daughter  has  a  baby." 

"You're  not  going,  are  you,  Mikko?  You  can't 
always  be  going  to  christenings." 

"That's  true,  Pekka,  that's  true,"  said  the  Fox,  "but 
I  think  I  must  go  this  time." 

The  Wolf  sighed. 

"You  will  hurry  back,  won't  you?  This  work  is  too 
much  for  me  alone." 

"Yes,  Pekka  dear,"  the  Fox  promised,  "I'll  hurry 
back  as  quickly  as  I  can." 

So  he  trotted  off  again  to  the  spring  and  the  Wolf's 
butter  crock.  This  time  he  ate  the  middle  pat  of  the 
Wolf's  butter,  then  slowly  sauntered  back  to  the  clear- 
ing. 

"Well,"  said  the  Wolf,  pausing  a  moment  in  his  work, 
"what  did  they  name  the  baby  this  time?" 

"This  one  they  named  Middle." 

"Middle?     That's  a  strange  name  to  give  a  baby!" 

For  a  few  moments  the  Fox  pretended  to  work  hard. 
Then  he  ran  off  again.     When  he  came  back,  he  said : 


238  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

"Pekka,  do  you  know  they're  having  another  christen- 
ing at  the  Farm  and  they  say  that  I  just  must  come." 

"Another  christening!  Now,  Mikko,  that's  too 
much!     How  can  they  be  having  another  christening?" 

"Well,  this  time  it's  the  daughter-in-law  that  has  a 
baby." 

"I  don't  care  who  it  is,"  the  Wolf  said,  "you  just 
can't  go.     You've  got  some  work  to  do,  you  have!" 

The  Fox  agreed : 

"You're  right,  Pekka,  you're  right!  I'm  entirely  too 
busy  to  be  running  off  all  the  time  to  christenings!  I'd 
say,  'No!'  in  a  minute  if  it  wasn't  that  we  are  new 
settlers  and  they  are  our  nearest  neighbors.  As  it  is 
I'm  afraid  they'd  think  it  wasn't  neighborly  if  I  didn't 
come.     But  I'll  hurry  back,  I  promise  you!" 

So  for  the  third  time  the  Fox  trotted  off  to  the  little 
spring  and  this  time  he  licked  the  Wolf's  butter  crock 
clean  to  the  bottom.  Then  he  went  slowly  back  to  the 
clearing  and  told  the  Wolf  about  the  christening  and 
the  baby. 

"They've  named  this  one  Bottom,"  he  said. 

"Bottom!"  the  Wolf  echoed.  "What  funny  names 
they  give  children  nowadays !" 

The  Fox  pretended  to  work  hard  for  a  few  minutes, 
then  threw  himself  down  exhausted. 


"Wake  up,  Pekka! 

Wake  up!    There's 

butter  running  out  of  your  nose!' 


240  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

"Heigh  ho!"  he  said,  with  a  yawn,  "I'm  so  tired  and 
hungry  it  must  be  dinner  time!" 

The  Wolf  looked  at  the  sun  and  said: 

"Yes,  I  think  we  had  better  rest  now  and  eat." 

So  they  went  to  the  spring  and  got  their  butter  crocks. 
The  Wolf  found  that  his  had  already  been  licked  clean. 

"Mikko!"  he  cried,  "have  you  been  at  my  butter?" 

"Me?"  the  Fox  said  in  a  tone  of  great  innocence. 
"How  could  I  have  been  at  your  butter  when  you  know 
perfectly  well  that  I've  been  working  right  beside  you 
all  morning  except  when  I  was  away  at  the  christenings  ? 
You  must  have  eaten  up  your  butter  yourself!" 

"Of  course  I  haven't  eaten  it  up  myself!"  the  Wolf 
declared.     "I  just  bet  anything  you  took  it!" 

The  Fox  pretended  to  be  much  aggrieved. 

"Pekka,  I  won't  have  you  saying  such  a  thing!  We 
must  get  at  the  bottom  of  this!  I  tell  you  what  we'll 
do:  we'll  both  lie  down  in  the  sun  and  the  heat  of  the 
sun  will  melt  the  butter  and  make  it  run.  Now  then, 
if  butter  runs  out  of  my  nose  then  I'm  the  one  that 
has  eaten  your  butter ;  if  it  runs  out  of  your  nose,  then 
you've  eaten  it  yourself.     Do  you  agree  to  this  test?" 

The  Wolf  said,  yes,  he  agreed,  and  at  once  lay  down 
in  the  sun.     He  had  been  working  so  hard  that  he  was 


THE  PARTNERS  241 

very  tired  and  in  a  few  moments  he  was  sound  asleep. 
Thereupon  the  Fox  slipped  over  and  daubed  a  little 
lump  of  butter  on  the  end  of  his  nose.  The  sun  melted 
the  butter  and  then,  of  course,  it  looked  as  if  it  were 
running  out  of  the  Wolf's  nose. 

"Wake  up,  Pekka!  Wake  up!"  the  Fox  cried. 
"There's  butter  running  out  of  your  nose!" 

The  Wolf  awoke  and  felt  his  nose  with  his  tongue. 

"Why,  Mikko,"  he  said  in  surprise,  "so  there  is! 
Well,  I  suppose  I  must  have  eaten  that  butter  myself 
but  I  give  you  my  word  for  it  I  don't  remember  doing 
it!" 

"Well,"  said  the  Fox,  pretending  still  to  feel  hurt, 
"you  shouldn't  always  suspect  me." 

When  they  went  back  to  the  clearing,  the  Wolf  began 
pulling  the  brush  together  to  burn  it  up  and  the  Fox 
slipped  away  and  lay  down  behind  some  brushes. 

"Mikko!  Mikko!"  the  Wolf  called.  "Aren't  you 
going  to  help  me  burn  the  brush?" 

"You  set  it  a-fire,"  the  Fox  called  back,  "and  I'll 
stay  here  to  guard  against  any  flying  sparks.  We  don't 
want  to  burn  down  the  whole  forest!" 

So  the  Wolf  burned  up  all  the  brush  while  the  Fox 
took  a  pleasant  nap. 


242  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

Then  when  he  was  ready  to  plant  the  seed  in  the  rich 
wood  ashes,  the  Wolf  again  called  out  to  the  Fox  to 
come  help  him. 

"You  do  the  planting,  Pekka,"  the  Fox  called  back, 
"and  I'll  stay  here  and  frighten  off  the  birds.  If  I 
don't  they'll  come  and  pick  up  every  seed  you  plant." 

So  JMikko,  the  rascal,  took  another  nap  while  the  poor 
Wolf  planted  the  field  he  had  already  cleared  and 
burned. 


I 


ADVENTURE  III 


THE  FOX  AND  THE  CROW 


In  a  short  time  the  field  that  Pekka, 
the  Wolf,  had  planted  began  to  sprout. 
Pekka  was  dehghted. 

"See,  Mikko,"  he  said  to  the  Fox, 
"our  grain  is  growing  and  we  shall 
soon  be  harvesting  it !" 
The  Fox  turned  up  his  nose  indifferently. 
"If  we  don't  get  something  to  eat  before  that  grain 
ripens,"  he  said,  "we'll  starve,  both  of  us!    While  we 
wait  for  the  harvest  I  think  we  better  go  out  hunting. 
I'm  going  this  minute  for  I  tell  you  I'm  hungry!" 
The  Fox  went  sniffing  into  the  forest  and  finally  came 

243 


244  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

to  the  tree  where  Harakka,  the  Magpie,  had  her  nest. 
The  Fox,  cocking  his  head,  paced  slowly  round  and 
round  the  tree,  looking  at  it  from  every  angle.  Harak- 
ka, the  Magpie,  sitting  on  her  nest  among  her  fledglings 
began  to  feel  nervous. 

"Say,  Mikko,"  she  called  down,  "what  are  you  looking 
at?" 

At  first  the  Fox  made  no  answer.  Deep  in  thought, 
apparently,  he  nodded  his  head  and  murmured: 

"Yes,  the  very  tree!" 

Harakka,  the  Magpie,  again  called  down: 

"What  are  you  looking  at,  Mikko?" 

The  Fox  started  as  though  he  had  heard  the  question 
for  the  first  time. 

"Ah,  Harakka,  is  that  you?  Good  day  to  you!  I 
hope  you  are  well!  I  hope  the  children  are  all  well! 
I  was  so  busy  looking  for  the  right  tree  that  I  didn't 
recognize  you  at  first.  You  see  I  have  to  cut  down  a 
tree  to  get  wood  for  a  new  pair  of  skis.  This  tree  is 
just  the  one  I  want." 

"Oh,  mercy  me!"  the  Magpie  cried.  "You  can't 
cut  down  this  tree!  Do  you  want  to  kill  all  my  chil- 
dren?   This  is  our  home!" 

Mikko,  the  rascal,  pretended  to  be  very  sympa- 
thetic. 


THE  FOX  AND  THE  CROW  245 

"I'm  awfully  sorry  to  have  to  disturb  you,  truly  I 
am,  but  I'm  afraid  I  do  have  to  cut  down  this  tree.  I 
can't  find  another  that  suits  me  as  well." 

The  Magpie  flapped  her  wings  in  despair. 

"You  hard-hearted  wretch !  What  will  you  take  not 
to  cut  down  this  tree?" 

The  Fox  put  his  paw  to  his  head  and  pretended  to 
think  hard.     After  a  moment  he  said : 

"Well,  Harakka,  I'll  make  you  this  offer:  I'll  leave 
this  tree  standing  provided  you  throw  me  down  one 
of  your  fledglings." 

"What!"  the  poor  Magpie  shrieked.  "Give  you  one 
of  my  babies!  I'll  never  do  that!  Never!  Never! 
NeverT 

"Oh,  very  well!  Just  as  you  like!  If  I  cut  the  tree 
down  I  can  get  them  all.  But  I  thought  for  the  sake 
of  old  times  I'd  ask  for  only  one.  However,  do  as  you 
think  best." 

What  could  the  poor  Magpie  say?  If  the  tree  were 
felled  and  her  fledglings  thrown  out  of  the  nest  they 
would  certainly  all  perish.  Perhaps  it  would  be  wise 
to  sacrifice  one  to  save  the  rest. 

"You  promise  to  let  the  tree  stand,"  she  said,  "if  I 
give  you  one  of  my  children?" 

"Yes,"  the  rascal  promised,  "just  drop  me  one  of  your 


246  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

fledglings,  a  nice  plump  one,  and  I  won't  cut  down  the 
tree." 

With  shaking  claw  Harakka  pushed  one  of  her  chil- 
dren over  the  edge  of  the  nest.  It  fluttered  to  the 
ground  and  Mikko  carried  it  off. 

Well,  the  next  day  what  did  that  Fox  do  but  come 
back  and  begin  pacing  around  the  tree  again. 

"Yes,"  he  said,  pretending  to  talk  to  himself,  "this 
is  the  best  tree  I  can  find.  I  might  as  well  cut  it  down 
at  once." 

"But,  Mikko!"  cried  the  Magpie,  "you  forget!  You 
said  you  wouldn't  cut  down  this  tree  if  I  gave  you  one 
of  my  children  and  I  did  give  you  one!" 

The  Fox  flipped  his  tail  indifferently. 

"I  know,"  he  said,  "I  did  promise  but  I  thought  then 
I  could  find  another  tree  that  would  suit  me  as  well  as 
this  one,  but  I  can't.  I've  looked  everywhere  and  I 
can't.  I'm  sorry  but  I'm  afraid  that  I'll  just  have  to 
take  this  tree." 

"O  dear,  O  dear,  O  dear!"  the  poor  distracted  Mag- 
pie wept.  "Will  nothing  make  you  leave  this  tree 
stand?" 

The  Fox  smacked  his  lips. 

"Well,  Harakka,  drop  me  down  another  of  your 
fledglings  and  I  won't  disturb  the  tree.     I  promise." 


THE  FOX  AND  THE  CROW  247 

"What!     Another  of  my  babies!     Oh,  you  wretch!" 

"Well,  suit  yourself,"  Mikko  said.  "One  of  your 
fledglings  and  you  can  keep  the  others  safe  in  the  nest, 
or  I'll  cut  the  tree  down." 

What  could  the  poor  Magpie  do?  Wouldn't  it  be 
better  to  sacrifice  another  fledgling  on  the  chance  of 
saving  the  rest  ?  Yes,  it  would !  So  she  pushed  another 
out  of  the  nest.  It  fluttered  to  the  ground  and  Mikko, 
the  rascal,  carried  it  off. 

That  afternoon  Varis,  the  Crow,  came  to  call  on  the 
/Magpie. 

"Why,  my  dear,"  she  said,  looking  over  the  fledglings, 
"two  of  your  children  are  missing!  Whatever  has 
become  of  them?" 

"It's  that  rascally  Mikko!"  the  Magpie  cried,  and 
thereupon  she  told  her  friend  the  whole  story. 

Varis,  the  Crow,  listened  carefully  and  then  said: 

"My  dear,  that  miserable  Fox  has  been  fooling  you! 
Why,  he  can't  cut  down  this  tree  or  any  other  tree  for 
that  matter!  He  hasn't  even  got  an  ax!  Don't  let 
him  impose  on  you  a  third  time!" 

So  the  very  next  day  when  the  Fox  came  and  again 
tried  the  same  little  trick,  Harakka,  the  Magpie, 
tossed  her  head  scornfully  and  said: 

"Go  along,  you  rascal!     You  can't  fool  me  again! 


248  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

How  can  you  cut  down  this  tree  or  any  other  for  that 
matter  when  you  haven't  even  got  an  ax!" 

The  Fox  was  furious  at  being  cheated  of  his  dinner. 

"You  didn't  think  that  out  yourself,  Harakka!"  he 
said.      "Some  one's  been  talking  to  you!    Who  was  it?" 

"It  was  my  dear  friend,  Varis,"  the  Magpie  said. 
"She's  on  to  your  tricks !" 

"I'll  teach  that  Crow  to  interfere  with  my  affairs!'* 
the  Fox  muttered  to  himself  as  he  trotted  off. 

He  went  to  an  open  field  and  lay  down  with  his  mouth 
open,  pretending  to  be  dead. 

"I'm  sure  Varis  will  soon  spy  me!"  he  said  to  himself. 

He  was  right.  Presently  the  Crow  began  circling 
above  him.  She  flew  nearer  and  nearer  and  at  last 
alighted  on  his  head.  His  tongue  was  lolling  out  and 
Varis  decided  to  have  her  first  bite  there.  She  gave  it 
a  sharp  peck  at  which  the  Fox  jumped  up  and  caught 
her  in  his  paws. 

"Ha!  Ha!"  he  cried.  "So  you're  the  one  who 
spoiled  my  little  game  with  Harakka,  are  you?  Well, 
I'll  teach  you  not  to  interfere  with  me!  As  I  haven't 
got  one  of  Harakka's  fledglings  for  my  dinner,  I'm 
going  to  take  you!" 

"You  don't  mean  you're  going  to  eat  me!"  cried  the 
Crow  in  terror. 


"ril  teach  that  Crow 
to  interfere  with  iriy 
affairs!"  the  Fox  muttered 
to  himself  as  he  trotted  off 


250  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

"That's  exactly  what  I  mean!" 

"No,  no,  Mikko!     Don't  do  that!" 

"Yes,  that's  exactly  what  I'm  going  to  do!  I'm 
going  to  teach  you  birds  that  I'm  not  an  animal  to  be 
played  jokes  on!" 

"I  suppose,"  the  Crow  said,  sighing,  "if  it  must  be, 
it  must  be!  But,  Mikko,  if  you  really  want  to  use  me 
as  a  warning  to  the  other  birds,  you  oughtn't  to  eat  me 
right  down.  It  would  be  much  better  if  you  dragged 
me  along  the  ground  first.  Then  they'd  see  a  wing 
here,  a  leg  there,  and  a  long  trail  of  feathers.  That 
really  would  terrify  them." 

"I  believe  you're  right,"  the  Fox  said. 

He  put  the  Crow  down  on  the  ground  and  lifted  his 
paw  for  a  moment  to  change  his  hold.  The  Crow 
instantly  jerked  away  and  escaped. 

"Ha!  Ha!"  she  cawed  as  she  flew  off.  "You  were 
clever  enough  to  catch  me,  Mikko,  but  you  weren't 
clever  enough  to  eat  me  when  you  had  me!" 

So  this  was  one  time  when  Mikko,  the  Fox,  was 
worsted. 


ADVENTURE  IV 


THE  CHIEF  MOURNER 


"Mercy  me !"  thought  Mikko  to  him- 
self as  he  watched  Varis,  the  Crow,  fly 
away,  "this  is  certainly  my  unlucky 
day!  There  I  had  my  dinner  right  in 
my  hand  and  then  lost  it!" 

Sighing   and    shaking   his   head   he 
sauntered  slowly  back  to  the  forest. 

Now  it  happened  that  Osmo,  the  Bear,  had  just  lost 
his  wife  and  was  out  looking  for  some  one  to  bewail  her 
death.     The  first  person  he  met  was  Pekka,  the  Wolf. 

251 


252  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

"Pekka,"  he  said,  "my  wife's  dead  and  I'm  out  look- 
ing for  a  good  strong  mourner.     Can  you  mourn?'* 

"Me?    Indeed  I  can!    Just  listen!" 

Pekka,  the  Wolf,  pointed  his  nose  to  the  sky  and  let 
out  a  long  shivery  howl. 

"There!"  he  said.  "I  don't  believe  you'll  find  any 
one  that  can  do  any  better  than  that!'* 

But  Osmo,  the  Bear,  shook  his  head. 

"No,  Pekka,  you  won't  do.  I  don't  like  your  mourn- 
ing at  all!'* 

The  Bear  ambled  on  and  presently  he  met  the  Hare. 

"Good  day,  Jussi,"  he  said.  "Are  you  any  good  at 
mourning?     Show  me  what  you  can  do.'* 

The  Hare  gave  some  frightened  squeaks  as  his  idea 
of  mourning  the  dead. 

"No,  no,"  Osmo  said,  "I  don't  like  your  mourning 
either." 

So  he  walked  on  farther  until  by  chance  he  met  the 
Fox. 

"Mikko,"  he  said,  "my  wife's  dead  and  I*m  out  look- 
ing for  a  good  strong  mourner.     Can  you  mourn?" 

"Can  I?  Indeed  I  can!"  the  Fox  declared.  "I'm  a 
marvel  at  mourning!  I  can  wail  high  and  low  and 
soft  and  loud  and  just  any  way  you  want!  Listen!" 
And  Mikko,  beginning  with  a  little  whimpering  sound, 


%^Ai\ 


And  MikTco,  beginning  "with 
a  little  whimpering  sound, 
slowly  rose  to  a  high  heart' 
rending  cry 


254.  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

slowly  rose  to  a  high  heartrending  cry.     This  is  what 
he  wailed: 

''Med!    Med!    Med) 
The  Bear's  Wife  is  dead ! 

Lax!     Lax!     Lax! 
No  more  she'll  spin  the  flax! 

Eyes!     Eyes!     Eyes! 
No  more  she'll  bake  the  pies ! 

Air!     Air!     Air! 
No  more  she'll  drive  the  mare! 

Shakes  !     Shakes  !     Sh  aJces  ! 
There'll  be  no  more  little  cakes! 

Darth!     Darth!     Darth! 
Throw  the  pots  on  the  hearth 
For  the  Bear's  Wife  is  dead! 

Med!    Med!    Med!" 

Osmo,  the  Bear,  was  deeply  moved. 

"Beautiful!  Beautiful!"  he  grunted  hoarsely. 
"How  well  you  knew  her!  Come  along  home  with  me, 
Mikko,  and  start  right  in!  Oh,  how  beautifully  you  wail!" 

So  Mikko  went  home  with  the  Bear.  The  old  Bear 
Wife  was  laid  out  on  a  bench  in  the  kitchen. 

"Now  then,"  the  Bear  said,  "you  begin  the  wailing 
while  I  cook  the  porridge." 

"No,  no,  Osmo,"  the  Fox  said,  "I  couldn't  possibly 
wail  in  here!     The  place  is  full  of  smoke  and  my  voice 


THE  CHIEF  MOURNER  255 

would  get  husky  in  two  minutes !  Can't  you  lay  her  out 
in  the  storehouse?" 

The  Bear  demurred  but  the  Fox  insisted  and  at  last 
had  his  way.  So  together  they  dragged  the  body  of  the 
old  Bear  Wife  out  to  the  storehouse.  The  Fox  stood 
beside  the  body  ready  to  begin  his  wailing  and  the  Bear 
went  back  to  the  kitchen. 

The  moment  the  Bear  was  out  of  sight  Mikko,  the 
rascal,  instead  of  bewailing  the  old  Bear  Wife  began 
gobbling  her  up!  He  just  gobbled  and  gobbled  and 
gobbled  as  fast  as  he  could. 

"What's  the  matter?"  the  Bear  called  out  after  a  few 
minutes.     "Why  don't  you  begin?'* 

The  Fox  made  no  reply  but  kept  on  gobbling  as  hard 
as  he  could. 

"Mikko!  Mikko!'*  the  Bear  called  out  again. 
"What's  the  matter?     Why  aren't  you  howling?" 

By  this  time  the  Fox  had  made  a  good  dinner,  so  he 
called  back: 

"Don't  bother  me !  I'm  busy  eating!  Yum!  Yum! 
Yum!  Bear  meat  is  awful  good!  Just  give  me  a  few 
more  minutes  and  I'll  be  finished!" 

At  that  the  Bear  rushed  out  of  the  kitchen  m  a 
terrible  rage  but  the  Fox  was  already  running  off  and 
the  Bear  was  unable  to  catch  him.     He  did  hit  the  end 


256  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

of  his  tail  with  the  long  spoon  with  which  he  had  been 
measuring  the  meal,  but  that  was  all. 

Mikko,  the  rascal,  got  safely  away.     However,  to  this 
day  his  tail  shows  the  white  mark  of  the  meal. 


ADVENTURE  V 


MIRRI,  THE  CAT 

One   day   while   the   Fox   was   out 
walking  in  the  forest  he  met  a  stranger. 
"Good  day,"  he  said.     "Who   are 
you?" 

"I  am  Mirri,"  the  stranger  said,  "a 
poor  unfortunate  Cat  out  of  employ- 
ment.    I  had  service  in  a  decent  family  but  I've  had 
to  leave  them." 

"Did  they  treat  you  badly?"  the  Fox  asked. 
"No,  it  wasn't  that.     They  were  considerate  enough 
but  they  kept  getting  poorer  and  poorer  until  finally 

257 


258  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

they  hadn't  food  enough  to  feed  us  animals.  Then  I 
overheard  the  master  say  that  soon  they'd  be  forced  to 
eat  us  and  that  they'd  begin  with  me.  At  that  I  decided 
it  was  time  for  me  to  run  away  and  here  I  am." 

"My  poor  Cat,"  Mikko  said,  "you've  had  a  cruel 
experience!    Why  don't  you  take  service  with  me?" 

"Will  I  be  safe  with  you?"  the  Cat  asked.  "Will 
you  protect  me?" 

"Will  I?"  the  Fox  repeated  boastfully.  "My  dear 
Mirri,  once  it  becomes  known  that  you  are  Mikko's 
servant  all  the  animals  will  show  you  a  wholesome 
respect." 

"Well  then,  I'll  enter  your  service,"  the  Cat  said. 

So  the  bargain  was  struck  and  the  Fox  at  once  began 
to  train  his  new  servant. 

"Now,  Mirri,  tell  me:  what  would  you  do  if  you 
suddenly  met  a  Bear?" 

"There's  just  one  thing  I  couid  do,  master:  I'd  run 
up  a  tree." 

The  Fox  laughed. 

"You  must  have  more  ways  than  one  to  meet  such 
a  situation!  Take  me  now:  there  are  any  of  a  hundred 
things  that  I  could  do  if  I  met  a  Bear!" 

Just  then  Osmo,  the  Bear,  ambled  softly  up  behind 
the  Fox.     The  Cat  saw  him  and  instantly  flew  up  a 


JET^  jerJced  quichly  away  arid 
fled  and  the  Bear  was  left 
standing  with  his  mouth  wide  open 


260  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

tree.  Before  the  Fox  could  move  Osmo  clutched  him 
firmly  on  the  shoulder  with  his  teeth. 

"Oh,  master,  master!"  the  Cat  called  down  from  the 
tree.  "What's  this?  I  with  my  one  way  have  escaped 
and  you  with  your  hundred  are  caught!" 

But  the  Fox  paid  no  heed  to  the  Cat.  He  twisted 
his  head  around  and  looked  reproachfully  at  the  Bear. 

"Why,  Osmo,  my  dear  old  friend!"  he  said,  "what 
in  the  world  do  you  mean  taking  hold  of  me  so  roughly  I 
Ouch!  You're  nipping  my  shoulder,  really  you  are! 
I  don't  understand  why  you're  acting  this  way!  Here 
I've  always  been  such  a  good  friend  to  you,  so  faithful, 
so  true,  so — " 

"What!"  rumbled  the  Bear.  "Faithful!  True!  Oh, 
you—" 

Osmo's  feelings  overcame  him  to  such  an  extent  that 
he  opened  his  jaws  to  roar  out  freely  his  denial  of  the 
Fox's  hypocrisy. 

That  gave  the  Fox  just  the  chance  he  wanted.  He 
jerked  quickly  away  and  fled  and  the  Bear  was  left 
standing  with  his  mouth  wide  open. 

Later  when  the  Bear  had  ambled  off  the  Fox  returned 
and  called  the  Cat  down  from  the  tree. 

"You  see,  Mirri,"  he  remarked  casually,  "it  wasn't 
anything  at  all  for  me  to  get  the  best  of  the  Bear!" 


MIRRI,  THE  CAT  26X 

He  could  see  that  he  had  vastly  impressed  the  Cat, 
so  he  let  the  subject  drop. 

"Come  along,  Mini,"  he  said,  "it's  time  for  us  to 
go  home." 


k^JSt^ 


>^M' 


A  terrible  creature  landed 
on  his  nose  and  drove  it 

full  of  pins  and  needles 


ADVENTURE  VI 
THE  FOX'S  SERVANT 


A  day  or  so  later  the  Fox  met  Pekka, 
the  Wolf.  The  Fox  hadn't  seen  much 
of  Pekka  recently  for  Pekka  had  been 
having  a  hard  time  and  had  been  on 
the  verge  of  starvation.  Now  he  was 
sleek  again  and  well  fed  for  he  had 
recently  killed  an  Ox. 

"Good  day,  Pekka,"  the  Fox  said  in  a  friendly  way. 
"Good  day,  Mikko.    How  are  you?" 
"Very  fine  indeed!"  the  Fox  said.    "You  see  I  have 
a  new  servant.     Oh,  he's  a  wonderful  servant!     He's 

263 


264  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

not  big  to  look  at,  you  know,  but  he's  so  strong  and 
quick  that  he'd  jump  on  you  in  a  minute  and  eat  you 
up  before  you  knew  what  was  happening!" 

"Really,  Mikko?" 

"Yes,  really!    You  just  ought  to  see  him!" 

"I'd  Hke  to  see  him,"  the  Wolf  said. 

"Well,  you  might  slip  down  now  and  take  a  peep  in 
the  kitchen.  He's  at  home.  But,  my  dear  Pekka,  I 
warn  you  not  to  let  him  see  you!  If  he  catches  sight 
of  you,  I  won't  be  responsible  for  the  consequences!" 

The  Wolf  was  deeply  impressed  with  all  this.  He 
crept  carefully  down  to  the  Fox's  kitchen  and  sniffed 
cautiously  at  the  crack  under  the  door.  The  Cat  in- 
side, seeing  the  tip  of  the  Wolf's  nose  and  thinking  it 
was  a  Mouse,  pounced  on  it  with  all  his  claws.  This 
gave  the  Wolf  a  mighty  fright  and  he  bolted  madly 
off  into  the  forest. 

He  was  still  panting  when  he  met  the  Bear. 

"Osmo,"  he  said,  "have  you  heard  about  that  awful 
creature  that  Mikko  has  for  a  servant?" 

The  Bear  had  heard  nothing,  so  the  Wolf  related 
to  him  his  own  terrifying  experience. 

The  Bear's  curiosity  was  aroused. 

"I  must  have  a  glimpse  of  this  wonderful  servant," 
he  said,  ambling  off  in  the  direction  of  the  Fox's  kitchen. 


THE  FOX'S  SERVANT  265 

"I'll  wait  for  you  here,"  the  Wolf  called  after  him, 
"and  I  warn  you,  Osmo,  be  careful!" 

The  Bear  when  he  got  to  the  Fox's  kitchen  quietly 
stuck  his  nose  under  the  crack  of  the  door  and  squinted 
inside.  He  hardly  had  time  for  one  squint  when  a 
terrible  creature  with  a  straight  tail  that  looked  like 
a  spear  came  flying  through  the  air,  landed  on  his 
nose,  and  drove  it  full  of  pins  and  needles. 

"Ouch!  Ouch!  Ouch!"  the  Bear  whimpered  as  he 
hurried  back  to  the  Wolf. 

"Did  you  see  him?"  the  Wolf  asked. 

"I  got  just  one  glimpse  of  him,"  the  Bear  said.  "He 
had  a  long  spear  sticking  up  over  his  shoulder  and  he 
came  swooping  down  through  the  air  just  as  if  he  had 
wings!" 

"My!  I  wish  we  could  really  see  him!"  the  Wolf 
said.  "Suppose  we  ask  Mikko  to  arrange  some  way 
we  can  have  a  good  look  at  him." 

So  they  went  to  the  Fox  and  Mikko,  the  rascal,  said : 

"Well,  now,  if  you  make  a  feast  and  invite  my  serv- 
ant I  think  he  will  come." 

"All  right,"  the  Wolf  said,  "that's  what  we'll  do. 
I've  still  got  some  of  that  ox.    It  will  make  a  fine  feast." 

So  they  roasted  the  remains  of  the  ox  and  set  it  out. 

"Now  I'll  go  get  my  servant,"  the  Fox  said.    "When 


266  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

you  hear  us  coming,  you  two  hide  some  place  where  you 
can  see  us  but  we  can't  see  you.  If  my  servant  once 
sees  you  I  won't  be  responsible  for  the  consequences!" 

So  the  Wolf  hid  in  some  bushes  nearby  and  the  Bear 
drew  himself  up  into  the  branches  of  a  tree. 

Well,  the  Fox  and  the  Cat  arrived  and  sat  them 
down  to  the  feast.  Now  it  happened  that  the  Wolf 
was  not  able  to  see,  so  he  tried  to  twist  himself  around 
into  a  better  position.  The  Cat  caught  a  glimpse  of 
his  tail  moving  in  the  bushes  and  instantly  pounced  on 
it.  With  one  terrified  yelp,  the  Wolf  jumped  out  of 
the  bushes  and  fled  into  the  forest  as  fast  as  he  could. 

In  fright  the  Cat  scampered  up  the  tree  and  the 
Bear,  of  course,  supposed  that  the  awful  creature  now 
was  after  him.  In  his  frantic  efforts  to  escape  he 
tumbled  down  out  of  the  tree  and  broke  two  ribs.  But 
for  all  that  he  made  off,  too  terrified  to  look  back. 

So  the  Fox  and  the  Cat  were  left  to  finish  the  ox 
in  peace. 


ADVENTURE  VII 

THE  WOLF  SINGS 

Having  sacrificed  his  ox  in  order  to 
feast  the  Fox's  servant,  the  Wolf  had 
nothing  left  for  himself  and  was  soon 
very  hungry.  He  could  find  nothing 
to  eat  in  the  forest,  so  he  went  prowl- 
ing around  a  farm  in  hopes  of  getting 

a  pig  or  a  chicken.     The  only  hving  creature  he  came 

upon  was  a  thin  old  Dog  asleep  in  the  sun. 

"This  is  better  than  nothing,"  he  thought  to  himself 

and,  taking  hold  of  the  Dog,  he  began  dragging  it 

off. 

267 


268  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

"Cousin!  Cousin!"  cried  the  Dog.  "Is  this  any  way 
to  treat  a  relation?    Let  me  go!" 

"I'm  sorry,"  the  Wolf  said,  "but  I  can't  let  you  go. 
I'm  too  hungry." 

"Let  me  go,"  the  Dog  begged,  "and  I  tell  you  what 
I'll  do:  I'll  give  you  a  bottle  of  vodka." 

"Promises  come  easy,"  the  Wolf  said.  "Where  will 
you  get  the  vodka?" 

"Under  the  bench  in  the  kitchen.  That's  where  the 
master  keeps  his  bottle.  I've  seen  him  hide  it  there. 
Come  to-night  after  the  family's  asleep  and  I'll  let  you 
in  and  give  you  the  vodka." 

Now  Pekka,  the  Wolf,  was  very  fond  of  vodka,  so 
he  said  to  the  Dog : 

"Very  well,  I'll  let  you  go.  But  see  that  you  keep 
your  promise!" 

Late  that  night  when  the  family  were  asleep,  the 
Wolf  came  scratching  at  the  farmhouse  door  and  the 
Dog  let  him  in. 

"Well,  old  fellow,  you  know  why  I've  come,"  the 
Wolf  said. 

At  once  the  Dog  crawled  under  the  bench  and  got 
the  master's  bottle  of  vodka. 

"Here,  Pekka,  here  it  is!"  he  said,  offering  the  Wolf 
the  bottle. 


The  Wolf  went  staggering 
around  the  room  howling  at 
the  top  of  his  voice 


270  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

"You  drink  first,"  Pekka  insisted.  "You're  the 
host." 

The  Dog  raised  the  bottle  and  took  a  little  sip.  Then 
the  Wolf  took  a  deep  swallow. 

"Ah!"  he  said,  smacking  his  lips,  "that's  something 
like  I" 

His  stomach  was  empty  and  the  vodka  went  through 
his  veins  like  fire.  He  felt  happy  and  laughed  and 
went  capering  around  the  room. 

"I  feel  like  singing!"  he  cried. 

"My  dear  Pekka,"  the  Dog  said,  "I  beg  you  don't 
sing!  You  will  wake  the  folks!  Sit  down  quietly  and 
we'll  talk." 

So  they  sat  awhile  and  talked  and  then  the  Wolf 
took  another  deep  swallow  of  the  vodka.  Again  he 
wanted  to  sing  and  the  Dog  had  trouble  in  restrain- 
ing him. 

"Do  you  want  to  wake  the  family,  Pekka?  Be  quiet 
now  or  you  can't  have  any  more  vodka !" 

The  Wolf  took  another  deep  drink  and  after  that 
there  was  no  holding  him  back.  He  went  staggering 
around  the  room  howling  at  the  top  of  his  voice. 

The  Farmer  and  all  his  family  came  hurrying  into 
the  kitchen  with  clubs  and  pokers  and  whatever  they 
could  pick  up. 


THE  WOLF  SINGS  271 

"It's  a  Wolf!"  the  Farmer  cried.  "The  impudent 
scoundrel,  coming  right  into  the  house!  Give  him  a 
good  beating!" 

If  the  door  hadn't  been  open  they  would  have  clubbed 
poor  Pekka  to  death.  As  it  was  he  barely  escaped  with 
his  life. 


.HV.  • 


In  the  confusion  that 
followed  the  Wolves  stampeded, 
running  helter-skelter  in  all 
directions 


ADVENTURE  VIII 

THE  CLEVER  GOAT 

The  truth  is  Pekka,  the  Wolf,  was 
a  pretty  stupid  fellow  always  getting 
into  some  scrape  or  other.  With  sore 
ribs  and  a  back  aching  from  the  beating 
which  the  farm  folk  had  given  him  he 
slunk   quietly   along   the   forest   ways 

hoping  to  come  upon  some  easy  prey.     Suddenly  he  saw 

ahead  of  him  a  Goat  and  a  Ram. 

"What  are  they  doing  hereabouts?"  he  thought  to 

himself,     "This  is  no  place  for  them  and  if  anything 

happens  to  them  it  will  be  their  own  fault." 

273 


274.  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

Vuhi,  the  Goat,  and  Dinas,  the  Ram,  both  knew  that 
the  forest  was  no  place  for  them.  But  where  else 
could  they  go?  They  had  recently  been  turned  loose 
to  fend  for  themselves  by  their  poor  old  master  who 
was  no  longer  able  to  feed  them. 

"This  forest  rather  frightens  me,"  the  Ram  had  said 
to  the  Goat.  "Do  you  suppose  we'll  be  able  to  keep 
off  the  Wolves?" 

Vuhi,  the  Goat,  flirted  his  whiskers  and  said: 

"I've  got  a  plan." 

Thereupon  he  took  a  sack  and  half  filled  it  with  dry 
chips.  Then  when  he  shook  the  sack  the  chips  made  a 
hollow  rattle.  He  threw  the  sack  over  his  shoulder  anj 
said  to  the  Ram : 

"Don't  you  be  frightened,  Dinas.  We'll  be  able  to 
hold  our  own  with  the  forest  creatures." 

It  was  just  at  this  moment  that  Pekka,  the  Wolf, 
appeared. 

"Ha!  Ha!"  said  Pekka  suspiciously.  "What's  that 
you've  got  in  that  sack  ?  No  nonsense  now !  Answer  me 
at  once  or  I'll  have  to  kill  you  both!" 

Vuhi,  the  Goat,  gave  the  sack  a  little  rattle. 

"In  this  sack?"  he  said.  "Oh,  only  the  skulls  and 
bones  of  the  Wolves  we  have  eaten.    We  haven't  had 


THE  CLEVER  GOAT  275 

any  Wolf  meat  now  for  some  time,  have  we,  Dinas  ?  It's 
good  you've  come  along  for  we're  hungry.  .  .  .  Atten- 
tion, Dinas!    Kill  the  Wolf!" 

The  Ram  lowered  his  horns  ready  for  attack  and 
Pekka,  the  Wolf,  too  surprised  to  resist  and  too  stiff 
to  run  away,  cried  out  wildly: 

"Brothers!  Brothers!  Don't  kill  me!  I'm  your 
friend!     Spare  me  and  I'll  do  something  for  you!" 

"Attention,  Dinas!"  the  Goat  commanded.  "Don't 
killthe  Wolf  just  yet!" 

Then  he  asked  Pekka: 

"Wliat  will  you  do  for  us  if  we  spare  you?" 

"I'll  send  you  twelve  Wolves,"  Pekka  promised. 
"That  will  give  you  more  meat  than  you'd  have  if 
you  killed  just  me!" 

"Twelve,"  the  Goat  replied.  "You  are  right:  twelve 
Wolves  will  give  us  more  meat  than  one.  Very  well, 
we'll  let  you  go  on  condition  that  you  send  us  twelve. 
But  see  you  keep  your  word!" 

So  the  Wolf  went  off  as  fast  as  his  stiff  legs  could 
carry  him  and  assembled  twelve  of  his  brothers. 

"I've  called  you  together,"  he  said,  "to  warn  you 
of  two  terrible  creatures,  a  Goat  and  a  Ram,  who  are 
here  in  the  forest  eating  up  Wolves!     Already  they 


276  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

have  a  sack  full  of  our  unfortunate  relations'  skulls 
and  bones!  I  saw  the  sack  myself!  Don't  you  think 
we  ought  all  of  us  to  flee?" 

"What!"  said  the  other  Wolves,  "thirteen  Wolves 
turn  tail  on  one  Goat  and  one  Ram?  Never!  We'll 
go  together  and  give  them  battle!" 

"Don't  count  me  in!"  Pekka  said.  "I  don't  want  to 
see  those  two  again!" 

So  the  twelve  Wolves  marched  off  without  Pekka. 

The  Goat  as  he  saw  them  coming  ran  up  a  tree.  The 
Ram  followed  him  but  couldn't  get  very  high. 

The  twelve  Wolves  came  under  the  tree  and  stand- 
ing in  close  formation  called  out: 

"Now  then,  you  two,  come  on!  We're  ready  for 
you!" 

"Attention,  Dinas!"  the  Goat  commanded.  "They're 
all  here,  so  lose  no  more  time!  Jump  down  among 
them  and  kill  them!" 

The  Goat  himself  began  climbing  down  the  tree,  at 
the  same  time  making  an  awful  noise  with  his  sack.  He 
gave  the  Ram  a  push  and  the  Ram  sHpped  and  fell 
right  on  the  backs  of  the  Wolves. 

"That's  right,  Dinas  I  Kill  them  all!"  the  Goat 
shouted,  rattling  his  sack  more  furiously  than  ever. 
"Don't  let  one  of  them  escape!" 


THE  CLEVER  GOAT  277 

In  the  confusion  that  followed  the  Wolves  stampeded, 
running  helter-skelter  in  all  directions.  Every  Wolf 
there  felt  that  his  own  escape  was  a  piece  of  rare  good 
fortune. 

"Those  terrible  two!"  he  thought. 

Thereafter  Vuhi,  the  Goat,  and  Dinas,  the  Ram, 
lived  on  in  the  forest  untroubled  by  the  Wolves. 


"Here  are  three  of  us  and 
see,  here  on  the  floor  is  our 
harvest  already  divided  into 
/hree  heaps" 


ADVENTURE  IX 

THE  HARVEST 

Well,  the  time  came  when  the  field 
of  barley  which  the  Fox  and  the  Wolf 
had  planted  together  was  ready  to  har- 
vest.   So  the  two  friends  cut  the  grain 
and  carried  the  sheaves  to  the  threshing 
barn  where  they  spread  them  out  to  dry. 
When  it  was  time  to  thresh  the  grain,  they  asked 
Osmo,  the  Bear,  to  come  and  help  them. 
"Certainly,"  Osmo  said. 

At  the  time  agreed  the  three  anunals  met  at  the 
threshing  barn. 

279 


280  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

"Now  the  first  thing  to  decide,"  Pekka  said,  "is  how 
to  divide  the  work." 

The  Fox  chmbed  nimbly  up  to  the  rafters. 

"I'll  stay  up  here,"  he  called  down,  "and  support 
the  beams  and  the  rafters.  In  that  way  there  won't 
be  any  danger  of  their  falling  and  injuring  either  of 
you.  You  two  work  down  there  without  any  concern. 
Trust  me!    I'll  take  care  of  you!" 

So  Osmo,  the  Bear,  used  the  flail,  and  Pekka,  the 
Wolf,  winnowed  the  chaff  from  the  grain.  Mikko,  the 
rascal,  occasionally  dropped  down  upon  them  a  hunk 
of  wood. 

"Take  care!"  they'd  call  out.  "Do  you  want  to  kill 
us?" 

"Indeed,  brothers,  you  have  no  idea  how  hard  it  is 
for  me  to  hold  up  all  these  rafters !"  INIikko  would  say. 
"You're  very  lucky  it's  only  a  little  piece  that  drops 
on  you  now  and  then!  If  it  weren't  for  me  you'd  cer- 
tainly be  killed,  both  of  you!" 

Well,  the  Bear  and  the  Wolf  worked  steadily. 
When  they  were  finished  Mikko,  the  rascal,  leaped 
down  from  the  rafters  and  stretched  himself  as  though 
he  had  been  working  the  hardest  of  them  all. 

"I'm  glad  that  job  of  mine  is  finished!"  he  said.  "I 
couldn't  have  held  things  up  much  longer!" 


THE  HARVEST  281 

"Well  now,"  Pekka  asked,  "how  shall  we  divide  this 
our  harvest?" 

"I'll  tell  you  how,"  Mikko  said.  "Here  are  three 
of  us  and,  see,  here  on  the  floor  is  our  harvest  already- 
divided  into  three  heaps.  The  biggest  heap  will  natur- 
ally go  to  the  biggest  of  us.  That's  Osmo,  the  Bear. 
The  middle  sized  heap  will  go  to  you,  Pekka.  I'm  the 
smallest,  so  the  smallest  heap  comes  to  me." 

The  Bear  and  the  Wolf,  stupid  old  things,  agreed 
to  this.  So  Osmo  took  the  great  heap  of  straw,  Pekka 
the  pile  of  chaff,  and  Mikko,  the  rascal,  got  for  his 
share  the  little  mound  of  clean  grain. 

Together  they  all  went  to  the  mill  to  grind  their  meal. 

As  the  millstone  turned  on  Mikko's  grain,  it  made 
a  rough  rasping  sound. 

"Strange,"  Osmo  said  to  Pekka,  "Mikko's  grain 
sounds  different  from  ours." 

"'Mix  some  sand  with  yours,"  Mikko  said,  "then  yours 
will  make  the  same  sound." 

So  the  Bear  and  the  Wolf  poured  some  sand  in  their 
straw  and  their  chaff  and  sure  enough,  when  they 
turned  their  millstones  again,  they,  too,  got  a  rough 
rasping  sound. 

This  satisfied  them  and  they  went  home  feeling  they 
had  just  as  good  a  winter's  supply  of  food  as  Mikko. 


He  dropped  it  in  the  water 
and  of  course  it  spread  out 
far  and  wide  and  the  current 
carried  it  off 


ADVENTURE  X 


THE  PORRIDGE 

Well,  it  was  only  natural  that  they 
should  all  want  to  see  at  once  what  kind 
of  porridge  their  meal  would  make. 

Osmo's  came  out  black  and  disgust- 
ing.   Greatly  disturbed  he  ambled  over 
to    Mikko's   house    for    advice.      The 
Fox  was  stirring  his  own  porridge  which  was  white 

and  smooth. 

"What's  the  matter  with  my  porridge?"  the  Bear 
asked.  "Yours  is  white  and  smooth  but  mine  is  black 
and  horrid." 

283 


284.  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

"Did  you  wash  your  meal  before  you  put  it  into  the 
pot?"  the  Fox  asked. 

"Wash  it?    No!    How  do  you  wash  meal?" 

"You  take  it  to  the  river  and  drop  it  in  the  water. 
Then  when  it's  clean  you  take  it  out." 

The  Bear  at  once  went  home  and  got  his  ground  up 
straw  and  took  it  to  the  river.  He  dropped  it  in  the 
water  and  of  course  it  spread  out  far  and  wide  and 
the  current  carried  it  off. 

So  that  was  the  end  of  Osmo's  share  of  the  harvest. 

Pekka,  the  Wolf,  had  as  little  luck  with  his  porridge. 
Soon  he,  too,  came  to  Mikko  for  advice. 

"I  don't  know  what's  the  matter  with  me,"  he  said. 
"I  don't  seem  to  be  able  to  make  good  porridge.  Look 
at  yours  all  white  and  smooth!  I  must  watch  you 
how  you  make  it.  Won't  you  let  me  hang  my  pot  on 
your  crane?    Then  I'll  do  just  as  you  do." 

"Certainly,"  the  Fox  said.  "Hang  your  pot  on  this 
chain  and  the  two  pots  can  then  cook  side  by  side." 

"Yours  is  so  white  to  begin  with,"  Pekka  said,  "and 
mine  looks  no  better  than  dirt." 

"Before  you  came  I  climbed  up  the  chain  and  hung 
over  the  pot,"  the  Fox  said.  "The  heat  of  the  fire 
melted  the  fat  in  my  tail  and  it  dripped  down  into  the 


THE  PORRIDGE  285 

pot.    It's  that  fat  that  makes  my  porridge  look  so  white." 

Poor  gullible  Pekka  immediately  suspended  himself 
on  the  chain  above  his  porridge.  But  he  didn't  stay 
there  long.  The  flames  scorched  him  and  he  fell  down 
hurting  his  side.  If  you  notice,  to  this  day  any  Wolf 
that  you  meet  has  stiff  sides  that  make  it  hard  for  him 
to  turn  and  twist,  and  to  this  day  all  Wolves  smell  of 
burnt  hair. 

Well,  Pekka,  after  he  had  got  his  breath,  tasted  his 
porridge  again  to  see  if  it  was  any  better.  But  it  wasn't. 
It  was  as  bad  as  ever. 

"I  don't  see  any  difference  in  it,"  he  said.  "Let  me 
taste  yours,  Mikko." 

The  Fox  artfully  scooped  up  a  spoonful  of  the  Wolf's 
porridge  and  dropped  it  into  his  own  pot. 

"Help  yourself,"  he  said.  "Take  some  out  of  that 
spot  there.    That's  good." 

The  place  he  pointed  to  was,  of  course,  the  place 
where  he  had  dropped  some  of  the  Wolf's  own  porridge. 

So  poor  old  stupid  Pekka  only  sampled  his  own  por- 
ridge again  when  he  thought  he  was  tasting  Mikko's. 

"Strange,"  he  said,  "your  porridge  doesn't  taste  good 
to  me  either.  I  don't  believe  anything  tastes  good  to 
me  to-day.    The  truth  is  I  don't  believe  I  like  porridge.'* 


286  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

He  went  home  sad  and  discouraged  while  Mikko,  the 
rascal,  chuckled  to  himself  and  said: 

"I  wonder  why  Pekka  doesn't  like  porridge.  It 
tastes  awful  good  to  me !" 


»« 

hy 


ADVENTUKE  XI 

NURSE  MIKKO 

The  Wolf's  wife  gave  birth  to  three 
little  cubs  and  then  died. 

"You  poor  children!"  Pekka  said, 
"your  mother  is  dead  and  there  is  no 
one  to  take  her  place.  I  must  get  you 
a  nurse." 
So  he  went  through  the  forest  hunting  some  one  to 
take  care  of  his  motherless  cubs.  The  white  Grouse 
offered  her  services  but,  when  she  sang  a  lullaby  to 
show  what  a  good  nurse  she  could  be,  Pekka  shook  his 
head. 

"I  don't  like  your  voice,"  he  said.    "I  can't  take  you." 
Then  Jussi,  the  Hare,  applied  for  the  position. 

237 


288  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

"You  know  I'm  lame,"  he  said,  "so  quiet  work  like 
nursing  would  suit  me." 

"Can  you  sing  lullabies?"  Pekka  asked. 

"Oh,  yes!    Listen!"  and  Jussi  began  squealing. 

"Stop !"  Pekka  cried.    "I  don't  like  your  voice  either." 

Just  then  Mikko,  the  Fox,  came  running  up. 

"Good  day,  Pekka,"  he  said.  "I  hear  you're  out 
looking  for  a  nurse  for  your  sweet  babies." 

"Yes,  Mikko,  I  am.     Can  you  recommend  one?" 

"I'd  hke  the  job  myself,"  the  Fox  said. 

"You,  Mikko?'* 

"Yes." 

"But  you  can't  sing  lullabies,  can  you?" 

"Oh,  yes!    I  sing  them  very  beautifully.    Listen: 

*Hushabye,  sweet  little  cubs, 
Hushabye  to  sleep ! 
Who  best  loves  you,  do  you  think? 
Who  will  give  you  food  and  drink? 
Who  on  faithful  guard  will  keep? 
Mikko!     Mikko! 

*Hushabye,  sweet  little  cubs, 
Mikko  loves  you  well, 
Loves  each  little  pointed  nose, 
Loves  your  little  scratchy  toes. 
Loves  you  more  than  he  can  tell — 
Mikko!    Mikko!'" 


He  ran  after  Mikko  and  was  about 
to  overtake  him  when  Mikko 
slipped  into  a  crevice  in  the  rocks. 
Ordy  one  paao  stuck  out 


290  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

Pekka,  the  Wolf,  was  charmed  with  Mikko's  lullaby. 

"Beautiful!  Beautiful!"  he  said.  "I  never  heard  a 
sweeter  lullaby !  You're  the  very  nurse  I  want !  Come 
home  with  me  at  once." 

So  Mikko  went  home  with  Pekka  and  took  over  the 
care  of  the  three  little  Wolf  cubs. 

"I'll  go  off  now  and  get  them  something  to  eat," 
Pekka  said. 

He  came  back  after  a  while  with  the  hind  leg  of  a 
horse. 

"This  will  be  enough  for  them  to  start  on,"  he  said. 

The  Fox  shook  his  head. 

"I'm  afraid  it  won't  last  them  very  long.  They're 
beautiful  healthy  children  with  fine  appetites." 

"Poor  little  dears!"  Pekka  said.    "Let  me  see  them.'* 

"Not  just  now!"  Mikko  insisted.  "They're  asleep 
and  mustn't  be  disturbed.  Go  out  hunting  again  and 
the  next  time  you  come  home  you  shall  see  them." 

Pekka  felt  that  the  Fox  must  be  a  very  good  nurse 
indeed  to  be  so  strict.  So  he  went  off  hunting  again 
without  seeing  his  children. 

As  soon  as  he  was  gone  Mikko,  the  rascal,  ate  up 
all  the  horse  meat  without  giving  the  cubs  one  bite  and 
then,  as  he  was  still  hungry,  he  ate  one  of  the  cubs.  The 
next  day  he  ate  another  cub,  and  the  day  following  he 


NURSE  MIKKO  291 

ate  the  last  of  them.  He  was  just  finishing  that  last 
cub  when  the  Wolf  came  home  and  called  in  at  the  door : 

"Now,  nurse,  here  I  am  come  home  to  see  my  dear 
children!    They're  well,  aren't  they?" 

"Very  well!"  the  Fox  declared.  "But  they've  grown 
so  big  under  my  good  care  that  the  house  isn't  large 
enough  now  to  hold  them  and  you  and  me  at  the  same 
time.    If  you're  coming  in,  I  must  get  out  first.'* 

So  the  Wolf  stood  aside  as  the  Fox  came  out  and 
scampered  away. 

Then  the  Wolf  went  in  and  of  course  all  he  could 
find  of  his  dear  children  were  their  bones. 

"You  faithless,  faithless  nurse!"  he  cried. 

In  awful  rage  he  ran  after  Mikko  and  was  about  to 
overtake  him  when  Mikko  slipped  into  a  crevice  in  the 
rocks.  Only  one  paw  stuck  out.  The  Wolf  pounced 
on  this  paw  and  began  gnawing  it. 

"Say,  Pekka,  have  you  gone  crazy?"  the  Fox  asked. 
"What  do  you  think  you're  doing  biting  that  old  root? 
I  hope  you  don't  think  it's  one  of  my  paws.  I'm  sitting 
on  all  four  paws." 

The  Wolf  looked  up  to  see  whether  this  was  true  and, 
quick  as  a  flash,  Mikko,  the  rascal,  drew  in  his  paw. 

So  the  poor  old  Wolf,  fooled  again,  went  sadly  home. 


Of  course  the  instant 
he  opened  his  mouth  the 
Grouse  flew  away 


St 

fl^TS 

SWj 

1 

£ 

M 

ADVENTURE  XII 
THE  BEAR  SAYS  NORTH 


One  day  while  Osmo,  the  Bear,  was 
prowhng  about  the  woods  he  caught  a 
Grouse. 

"Pretty  good!"  he  thought  to  him- 
self.    "Wouldn't  the  other  animals  be 
surprised  if  they  knew  old  Osmo  had 
caught  a  Grouse!'* 

He  was  so  proud  of  his  feat  that  he  wanted  all  the 
world  to  know  of  it.  So,  holding  the  Grouse  carefully 
in  his  teeth  without  injuring  it,  he  began  parading  up 
and  down  the  forest  ways. 

"They'll  all  certainly  envy  me  this  nice  plump 
Grouse,"  he  thought.     "And  they  won't  be  so  ready 

293 


294.  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

to  call  me  awkward  and  lumbering  after  this,  either!" 

Presently  Mikko,  the  Fox,  sauntered  bj^  He  saw 
at  once  that  Osmo  was  showing  off  and  he  determined 
that  the  Bear  would  not  get  the  satisfacion  of  any  ad- 
miration from  him.  So  he  pretended  not  to  see  the 
Grouse  at  all.  Instead  he  pointed  his  nose  upwards 
and  sniffed. 

"Um!  Um!"  grunted  Osmo,  trying  to  attract  atten- 
tion to  himself. 

"All,"  Mikko  remarked,  casually,  "is  that  you,  Osmo? 
What  way  is  the  wind  blowing  to-day?  Can  you  tell 
me?" 

Osmo,  of  course,  could  not  answer  without  opening 
his  mouth,  so  he  grunted  again  hoping  that  Mikko 
would  have  to  notice  why  he  couldn't  answer.  But  the 
Fox  didn't  glance  at  him  at  all.  With  his  nose  still 
pointed  upwards  he  kept  sniffing  the  air. 

"It  seems  to  me  it's  from  the  South,"  he  said.  "Isn't 
it  from  the  South,  Osmo?" 

"Um!    Um!    Um!"  the  Bear  grunted. 

"You  say  it  is  from  the  South,  Osmo  ?    Are  you  sure ?" 

"Um!  Uml"  Osmo  repeated,  growing  every  moment 
more  impatient. 

"Oh,  not  from  the  South,  you  say.  Then  from  what 
direction  is  it  blowing?'* 


THE  BEAR  SAYS  NORTH  295 

By  this  time  the  Bear  was  so  exasperated  by  Mikko's 
interest  in  the  wind  when  he  should  have  been  admiring 
the  Grouse  that  he  forgot  himself,  opened  his  mouth, 
and  roared  out: 

"North!" 

Of  course  the  instant  he  opened  his  mouth,  the  Grouse 
flew  away. 

"Now  see  what  youVe  done!"  he  stormed  angrily. 
"You've  made  me  lose  my  fine  plump  Grouse!" 

"I?"  Mikko  asked.     "What  had  I  to  do  with  it?" 

"You  kept  asking  me  about  the  wind  until  I  opened 
my  mouth — that's  what  you  did!" 

The  Fox  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"Why  did  you  open  your  mouth  ?" 

"Well,  you  can't  say,  'North!'  without  opening  your 
mouth,  can  you?"  the  Bear  demanded. 

The  Fox  laughed  heartily. 

"See  here,  Osmo,  don't  blame  me.  Blame  yourself. 
If  I  had  had  that  Grouse  in  my  mouth  and  you  had 
asked  me  about  the  wind,  I  should  never  have  said, 
'North!'" 

"What  would  you  have  said?"  the  Bear  asked. 

Mikko,  the  rascal,  laughed  harder  than  ever.  Then 
he  clenched  his  teeth  and  said: 

"East!" 


**Wht/,  do  you  know,**  he  said, 
**iny  turnips  and  my  bread 
don*t  taste  a  bit  liJce  this!** 


ADVENTURE  XIII 

OSMO'S  SHARE 

One  day  Osmo,  the  Bear,  came  to  a 
clearing  where  a  Man  was  plowing. 

"Good  day,"  the  Bear  said.    "What 
are  you  doing?" 

"I*m  plowing,"  the  Man  answered. 
"After  I  finish  plowing  I'm  going  to 
harrow  and  then  plant  the  field,  half  in  wheat  and  half 
in  turnips." 

"Yum!     Yum!"  Osmo  thought  to  himself.     "Good 
food  that — wheat  and  turnips!" 
Aloud  he  said: 

297 


298  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

"I  know  how  to  plow  and  harrow.  What  do  you  say- 
to  my  helping  you?" 

"If  you  help  me,"  the  Man  said,  "I'll  share  the  harvest 
with  you." 

So  Osmo  set  to  work  and  between  them  they  soon 
had  the  field  plowed,  harrowed,  and  planted. 

When  Autumn  came  they  went  to  get  their  crops. 

At  the  turnip  field  the  Man  said: 

"Now  what  do  you  want  as  your  share — the  part 
that  grows  above  the  ground  or  the  part  that  grows 
below?" 

Osmo,  the  Bear,  seeing  how  green  and  luxuriant  the 
turnip  tops  were,  said: 

"Give  me  the  part  that  grows  above  ground." 

After  they  had  harvested  the  turnips,  they  went  on 
to  the  wheat  field  where  the  JNIan  put  the  same  question. 

The  wheat  stocks  were  all  dry  and  shriveled.  Osmo 
looked  at  them  wisely  and  said: 

"This  time  you  better  give  me  the  part  that  grows 
under  the  ground." 

The  Man  laughed  in  his  sleeve  and  agreed. 

One  day  the  following  winter  the  two  met  and  the 
Man  invited  the  Bear  to  dinner.  Osmo  who  was  very 
hungry  accepted  the  invitation  gladly. 

First  they  had  baked  turnips. 


OSMO'S  SHARE  299 

"Oh,  but  these  are  good!"  Osmo  said.  "I've  never 
tasted  anything  better!    WTiat  are  they!" 

"\Vhy,"  the  Man  said,  "they're  the  turnips  from  that 
field  that  you  and  I  planted  together." 

The  Bear  was  greatly  surprised. 

Then  they  had  some  freshly  baked  bread. 

"How  good!  How  good !"  Osmo  exclaimed.  "What 
is  it?" 

"Just  plain  bread,"  the  Man  said,  "baked  from  the 
wheat  you  and  I  planted  together." 

Osmo  was  more  surprised  than  ever. 

"Why,  do  you  know,"  he  said,  "my  turnips  and  my 
bread  don't  taste  a  bit  like  this!'* 

The  Man  burst  out  laughing  and  Osmo  wondered 
why. 


The  first  person  they  met 
was  an  old  Horse.     They 
put  their  case  to  him 


ADVENTURE  XIV 

THE  REWARD  OF  KINDNESS 

Osmo,  the  Bear,  used  to  go  day  after 
day  to  a  field  of  growing  rye  and  eat 
as  much  as  he  wanted.  The  Farmer 
noticed  from  the  Bear's  tracks  that  he 
always  came  by  the  same  route. 

"I'll  teach  that  Bear  a  lesson!"  the 
Farmer  thought  to  himself. 

So  he  set  a  snare  made  of  a  strong  net  and  carefully 
covered  it  over  with  leaves  and  branches. 

That  day  Osmo,  when  he  came  as  usual  to  the  field, 
got  entangled  in  the  net  and  was  unable  to  escape. 

The  Farmer  when  he  came  and  found  him  securely 
caught  was  overjoyed. 

301 


302  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

"Now,  you  brute!"  he  said,  'I've  got  you  and  I'm 
going  to  kill  you!" 

"Oh,  master,  don't  do  that!"  the  Bear  implored. 
"Don't  kill  me!" 

"Why  shouldn't  I  kill  you?"  the  Farmer  asked. 
"Aren't  you  destroying  my  rye  ?" 

"Let  me  off  this  time!"  Osmo  begged,  "and  I'll  re- 
ward you!    I  swear  I  will!" 

He  begged  and  begged  until  at  last  he  prevailed 
upon  the  Farmer  to  open  the  net  and  let  him  out. 

"Now  then,"  the  Farmer  said  as  soon  as  the  Bear 
was  freed,  "how  are  you  going  to  reward  me?" 

Osmo  put  a  heavy  paw  on  the  Farmer's  shoulder. 

"This  is  how  I'm  going  to  reward  you,"  he  said:  "I'm 
going  to  eat  you  up !" 

"What!"  the  Farmer  exclaimed,  "is  that  your  idea 
of  a  reward  for  kindness?" 

"Exactly!"  Osmo  declared.  "In  this  world  that  is 
the  reward  kindness  always  gets!    Ask  any  one!" 

"I  don't  beheve  it!  I  don't  believe  it!"  the  Farmer 
cried. 

"Very  well.  I'll  prove  to  you  that  I'm  right.  We'll 
ask  the  first  person  we  meet." 

The  first  person  they  met  was  an  old  Horse.  They 
put  their  case  to  him. 


THE  REWARD  OF  KINDNESS  303 

"The  Bear  is  right,"  the  old  Horse  said.  "Look  at 
me:  For  thirty  years  I  gave  my  master  faithful  service 
and  just  this  morning  I  heard  him  say:  'It's  time  we 
killed  that  old  plug!  He's  no  good  for  work  any  more 
and  he's  only  eating  his  head  off!'  " 

The  Bear  squinted  his  Httle  eyes. 

"You  see!" 

"No,  I  don't  see!"  the  Farmer  insisted.  "We  must 
ask  some  one  else." 

They  walked  on  a  little  farther  until  they  met  an 
old  Dog.  They  put  their  case  to  him  and  at  once 
the  Dog  said: 

"The  Bear  is  right!  Look  at  me :  I  gave  my  master  a 
life  time  of  faithful  service  and  just  this  morning  I 
overheard  him  say:  'It's  time  we  killed  that  old  Dog!' 
Alas,  alas,  in  this  wicked  world  goodness  is  always  so 
rewarded !" 

But  still  the  Farmer  was  unsatisfied  and  to  humor 
him  Osmo  said  that  he  was  willing  that  they  should  put 
their  case  once  more  to  the  judgment  of  an  outsider. 

The  next  person  they  met  was  Mikko,  the  Fox. 
Mikko  listened  carefully  and  then  drawing  the  Farmer 
aside  he  whispered : 

"If  I  give  judgment  in  your  favor  will  you  let  me 
carry  off  all  the  chickens  in  your  hen-house?" 


304.  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

"Indeed  I  will!"  the  Farmer  promised. 

Then  Mikko  cleared  his  throat  importantly  and  said : 

*'H'm!  H'm!  To  give  fair  judgment  in  this  case 
I  must  go  over  all  the  ground.  First  show  me  the  field 
of  rye  and  the  damage  Osmo  did." 

So  they  went  to  the  field  and  the  Fox,  after  he  had 
appraised  the  damage,  shook  his  head  seriously. 

"It  was  certainly  wicked  of  Osmo  eating  all  that 
rye!  .  .  .  Now  show  me  the  net." 

So  they  went  to  the  snare  and  the  Fox  examined  it 
carefully. 

"You  say  the  Bear  got  entangled  in  this  snare.  I 
want  to  see  just  how  he  did  it." 

Osmo  showed  just  how  he  had  been  caught. 

"Get  all  the  way  in,"  the  Fox  said.  "I  want  to  make 
sure  that  you  couldn't  possibly  get  out  unaided." 

So  the  Bear  entangled  himself  again  in  the  net  and 
proved  that  he  couldn't  possibly  get  out  unaided. 

"Well,"  said  Mikko,  the  rascal,  "you  deserved  to 
get  caught  the  first  time  and  now  that  you*re  in  there 
again  you  can  just  stay  there!    Come  on,  Mr.  Farmer." 

So  Mikko  and  the  Farmer  went  off  leaving  Osmo 
to  his  fate. 

That  night  the  Fox  went  to  the  Farmer's  hen-house 
to  claim  his  reward.     When  he  came  in  the  chickens. 


THE  REWARD  OF  KINDNESS 


305 


of  course,  set  up  an  awful  squawking  that  aroused  the 
family.  The  Farmer  stayed  in  bed  but  he  sent  his  wife 
out  with  a  stout  club. 

"It  sounds  to  me,"  he  said,  "as  if  some  rascally  Fox 
is  trying  to  steal  our  hens.  If  you  catch  him,  don't  be 
gentle  with  him !" 

"Gentle!"  repeated  the  wife  significantly. 

She  hurried  out  to  the  hen-house  and  when  she  found 
Mikko  inside  she  gave  him  an  awful  beating.  In  fact 
he  barely  escaped  with  his  life. 

"Ah!"  he  said  to  himself  as  he  limped  painfully  home, 
"to  think  that  this  is  the  reward  my  kindness  has  re- 
ceived!   Oh,  what  a  wicked,  wicked  world  this  is!" 


'Si^Sa^: 


wtx 


With  that  the  Bear  lifted  his 
paw  and  the  little  mouse 
scampered  off 


ADVENTURE  XV 


THE  BEAR  AND  THE  MOUSE 

When  Osmo,  the  Bear,  was  left 
alone  in  the  net,  he  thrashed  about  this 
way  and  that  until  he  was  exhausted. 
Then  he  fell  asleep. 

While  he  slept  a  host  of  little  Mice 

began  playing  all  over  his  great  body. 

Their  tiny  feet  tickled  him  and  he  woke  with  a  start. 

The  Mice  scampered  off,  all  but  one  that  Osmo  caught 

under  his  paw. 

"Tweek!  Tweek!"  the  frightened  little  Mouse  cried. 
"Let  me  go!  Let  me  go!  Please  let  me  go!  If  you  do 
I'll  reward  you  some  day!    I  promise  I  will!" 

307 


308  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

Osmo  let  out  a  great  roar  of  laughter. 

"What,  little  one?  You'll  reward  me!  Ha!  Ha! 
That  is  good !  The  Mouse  will  reward  the  Bear !  Well 
now,  that  is  a  joke!  However,  little  one,  I  will  let  you 
go!  You're  too  weak  and  insignificant  for  me  to  kill 
and  too  small  to  eat.    So  run  along!" 

With  that  the  Bear  lifted  his  paw  and  the  little 
Mouse  scampered  off. 

"It  will  reward  me  for  my  kindness!"  Osmo  repeated, 
and  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  he  was  fast  caught  in  a 
net  he  shook  again  with  laughter. 

He  was  still  laughing  when  the  little  Mouse  returned 
with  a  great  army  of  his  fellows.  All  the  host  at  once 
began  gnawing  at  the  ropes  of  the  net  and  in  no  time 
at  all  they  had  freed  the  big  Bear. 

"You  see,"  the  little  Mouse  said,  "although  we  are 
weak  and  insignificant  we  can  reward  a  kindness!" 

Osmo  was  so  ashamed  for  having  laughed  at  the  Mice 
on  account  of  their  size  that  all  he  could  say  as  he 
shambled  off  into  the  forest  was : 

"Thanks!" 


r^7^ 

D^^ 

ADVENTURE  XVI 


THE  LAST  OF  OSMO 


There  was  a  Farmer  that  used  to 
drive  his  sledge  into  the  forest  to  cut 
wood.  Always  as  he  drove  he  shouted 
abusively  at  his  Horse. 

"Go  along,  you  old  plug!"  he'd  say. 

"What  do  you  think  you're  good  for, 

anyway?     If  you  don't  move  along  more  lively  I'll  give 

you  to  the  Bear  for  his  supper — that's  what  I'll  do 

with  you!" 

Now  Osmo,  the  Bear,  heard  about  this,  how  the 
Farmer  was  always  talking  about  giving  him  his  Horse, 
so  one  afternoon  while  the  Farmer  was  going  through 

209 


310  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

his  usual  tirade  Osmo  suddenly  stepped  out  of  the 
bushes  and  said: 

"Well,  Mr.  Farmer,  here  I  am!  Suppose  you  give 
me  my  supper." 

The  Farmer  was  greatly  taken  back. 

"I  didn't  really  mean  what  I  was  saying,"  he  stam- 
mered. "He's  a  good  Horse  but  he's  a  little  lazy — 
that's  all." 

Osmo  stood  there  swaying  his  shoulders  and  twisting 
his  head. 

"Even  if  he  is  lazy  he'll  taste  all  right  to  me.  Come 
along,  Mr.  Farmer,  hand  him  over  as  you've  promised 
to  do  this  long  time!" 

"But  I  can't  afford  to  give  you  my  Horse!"  the 
Farmer  cried.    "He's  the  only  Horse  I've  got!" 

But  the  Bear  was  firm. 

"No  matter!    You  have  to  keep  your  word!" 

"See  here,"  the  Farmer  begged,  "let  me  off  on  giving 
you  my  Horse  and  I  tell  you  what  I'll  do:  I'll  give  you 
my  Cow.    I  can  spare  the  Cow  better." 

"When  will  you  give  me  the  Cow?"  the  Bear  asked. 

"To-morrow,"  the  Farmer  promised. 

"Very  well,"  Osmo  said,  "if  you  deliver  me  the  Cow 
to-morrow  I'll  let  you  off  on  the  Horse.  But  see  you 
keep  your  word!" 


THE  LAST  OF  OSMO  311 

On  his  way  home  that  afternoon  the  Farmer  visited 

his  traps.    In  one  he  found  Mikko,  the  Fox.    Mikko, 

the  little  rascal,  begged  for  his  life  so  piteously  that 

the  Farmer  with  a  laugh  freed  him. 

"You've  done  me  a  good  turn,"  Mikko  said,  "and 
some  day  I'll  do  something  for  you.  Just  wait  and 
see  if  I  don't." 

Well,  early  next  morning  the  Farmer  put  his  Cow  on 
the  sledge  and  started  off  for  the  forest.  On  the  way 
he  met  Mikko. 

"Good  morning,"  Mikko  said.  "Where  are  you  gomg 
with  your  Cow?" 

The  Farmer  stopped  and  told  Mikko  about  his  bar- 
gain with  the  Bear. 

"See  here,"  the  Fox  said,  "I  promised  you  yesterday 
that  some  day  I'd  do  you  a  good  turn.  That  day  has 
come !  I'm  going  to  save  you  your  Cow  and  show  you 
how  you  can  kill  that  old  Bear  once  and  for  all.  But 
if  I  do  this,  you'll  have  to  give  me  the  Bear's  carcass 
after  he's  dead  and  gone." 

"I'll  be  glad  enough  to  do  that,"  the  Farmer  declared. 
"Save  me  my  Cow  and  you  may  have  all  of  that  old  Bear 
that  you  want!" 

"Well  then,"  Mikko  said,  "go  home  with  the  Cow  as 
quickly  as  you  can  and  come  back  here  with  ten  distaffs. 


3ia  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

My  plan  is  to  have  you  put  five  of  the  distaffs  around 
my  neck  and  five  around  my  tail.  I  can  make  an  awful 
noise  rattling  them.  When  the  Bear  hears  me  and  won- 
ders who  I  am,  do  you  say  to  him:  'Oh!  That  must  be 
my  son,  the  Hunter!  Don't  you  hear  the  rattle  of  his 
musket?'    Then  between  us  we'll  finish  that  old  Bear." 

The  Farmer  did  as  the  Fox  directed.  He  drove  the 
Cow  home  and  returned  to  the  forest  with  ten  distaffs, 
five  of  which  he  fastened  about  the  Fox's  neck  and  five 
about  his  tail.  Then  he  drove  the  sledge  on  to  the  place 
where  he  was  to  meet  the  Bear  and  Mikko,  the  Fox, 
crept  along  quietly  behind  him. 

"Where's  my  Cow?"  the  Bear  demanded  as  soon  as 
the  sledge  appeared, 

"I've  come  to  talk  to  you  about  that,"  the  Farmer 
began. 

Just  then  there  was  an  awful  rattle  of  something  in 
the  bushes  behind  the  Farmer. 

"AVhat's  that?"  the  Bear  cried. 

"Oh,"  the  Farmer  said,  "that  must  be  my  son,  the 
Hunter!    Don't  you  hear  the  rattle  of  his  musket?" 

The  Bear  shook  in  terror. 

"The  Hunter,  you  say!  Mercy  me,  what  shall  I  do! 
Oh,  Mr.  Farmer,  save  me  from  the  Hunter  and  I'll  for- 
give you  the  Cow!" 


THE  LAST  OF  OSMO  313 

"Very  well,"  the  Farmer  promised,  "I'll  do  my  best! 
Lie  down  and  I'll  try  to  make  the  Hunter  believe 
you're  only  a  log." 

So  the  Bear  lay  down  on  the  ground  and  stayed  per- 
fectly quiet. 

"Father,"  called  the  Fox  in  a  voice  that  sounded  like 
the  Hunter's,  "what's  that  big  brown  thing  lying  on  the 
ground  near  you?    Is  it  a  Bear?" 

"No,  son,"  the  Farmer  called  back,  "that  isn't  a  Bear. 
It's  only  a  log  of  wood." 

"If  it's  a  log  of  wood,  father,  chop  it  up  I" 

The  Farmer  raised  his  ax. 

"Don't  really  chop  me!"  the  Bear  begged  in  a  whis- 
per.   "Just  pretend  to." 

"This  is  too  good  a  log  to  chop  up,"  the  Farmer 
said. 

"Well,  father,"  said  the  voice  from  the  bushes,  "if 
it's  such  a  good  log  you  better  put  it  on  your  sledge  and 
take  it  home." 

"Lie  still,"  the  Farmer  whispered,  "while  I  put  you 
on  the  sledge." 

So  the  Bear  lay  stiff  and  quiet  and  the  Farmer 
dragged  him  on  to  the  sledge. 

"Father,"  the  voice  said,  "you  better  tie  that  log  down 
to  keep  it  from  rolling  off." 


314  MIGHTY  MIKKO 

"Don't  move,"  the  Farmer  whispered,  "and  I'll  tie 
you  down  just  as  if  you  were  a  log." 

So  the  Bear  lay  perfectly  still  while  the  Farmer  lashed 
him  securely  to  the  sledge. 

"Father,  are  you  sure  that  log  can't  roll  off?" 

"Yes,  son,"  the  Farmer  said,  "I'm  sure  it  can't  roll 
off  now." 

"Then,  father,  drive  your  ax  into  the  end  of  the  log 
and  off  we'll  go !" 

At  that  the  Farmer  raised  his  ax  and  with  one  mighty 
hlow  buried  it  in  the  neck  of  the  Bear. 

So  that  was  the  end  of  poor  old  lumbering  Osmo ! 

The  Farmer  was  saved  both  his  Horse  and  his  Cow 
and  Mikko,  the  rascal,  feasted  on  Bear  meat  for  a  week. 


— ^  *♦/«  Ab"^***. ^ 


>^^iSZu 


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